Moonlight Interludes
by niclabelle
Summary: An adaptation of season 1 of Moonlight. My take on Mick's perspective, with occasional thoughts from other characters, and some additional scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello! This is an adaptation of the TV show Moonlight. This chapter is based on episode 1 of that series and does contain plot and dialogue from the show. I do not own anything. All plot, character and applicable dialogue are property of others.

The chapter below is a rewrite and repost. It is a longer version of this episode than I had originally posted on this web site. Please, please leave a review and tell me what you think. I love any and all feedback.

Thanks very much,

Nic

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><p>It never ceases to amaze me how life can surprise you. I am an 85 year old vampire, so you would think at my age I'd have outgrown that sort of thing. Unfortunately for me it appears I haven't.<p>

I thought I had everything together, my proverbial act. Years ago I decided to live a life apart, alone, in an attempt to make some peace with my past. I wanted to try and atone for the mistakes I've made in my life as a vampire.

Did I mention the live my life alone part? Yes, so that plan was about to hit a snag. Enter the surprise, Beth.

I guess I should me explain a bit how this chapter in the story of my life began. It was late at night, or rather early in the morning, and I saw Beth on an internet news site. She had become a reporter of all things and was covering a gruesome murder. A girl had been found dead with two puncture wounds to the neck, her body dumped in a fountain in downtown Los Angeles.

Admittedly, the nature of the death and the resemblance to a vampire bite should have been my primary concern after watching that report. I was, however, having some trouble focusing on the case.

Why was that you ask?

As I said before, I believed that nothing could faze me. After all, vampires are supposed to be models of cool and controlled emotions, right? That was all true until I saw Beth's face on the screen. It's not the face of a stranger mind you. I have memorized her features from a distance over the course of years and I see them in my sleep. When I saw her on that web site, reason, logic and good intentions went right out the window.

I know what you're going to say, what good could it possibly do to seek out this human woman? I should have stayed out of it. But once I knew that I had the chance to see her in person, I couldn't pass it up. I was out the door and in my car.

The one saving grace was that she, in theory, should be completely unaware of me or my connection to her life. At least, I hoped that was the case.

* * *

><p>Mick arrived at what he thought was the location he'd seen on the internet news report. He was standing near a large fountain in downtown Los Angeles and judging by the bee-hive of police and media activity surrounding it, he guessed he was in the right place. Somewhere beyond him he could make out the profile of the victim. He found a spot to quietly observe the proceedings under some nearby trees. As much as he wanted the chance to see Beth in person, he didn't want to risk attracting too much attention to himself.<p>

Almost immediately he spotted her. She was hard to miss as she walked barefoot through the fountain attempting to get a closer look at the dead body contained at the center. Her shoes were in her hand. What an odd juxtaposition. Such a horrible scene, and yet as he stood watching her make her way through the water, it took his breath away. Her slight frame was silhouetted against the rising and falling liquid. Her eyes were fixed on her goal and the light from the fountain reflected in her blond hair. She was so beautiful.

He hadn't intended to speak to her. The temptation to see her in person had been too great to pass up, but now that it was done, he knew he should leave. He was still in the process of gathering his thoughts watching her, when without warning she turned and walked right to him. She looked up and her eyes met his. Freezing in mid step, her face lit up as a look of recognition crossed it. She knew him. Why did that make him feel so good? It shouldn't. He should be scared by it really. But somehow, her recognition made him smile. A slow sensation of warmth spread through his body.

Beth's eyes stayed on his face as she began again to approach. Her expression was of someone trying to place where she'd seen him before. She stopped in front of him and he didn't move, just looked back at her. He was endeavoring to keep his emotions hidden with a straight face, but he could feel the corner of his mouth wanting to tick up.

Her blue eyes were wide, regarding him with pleasant surprise. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"You tell me," he responded amused.

She paused to think for a second. "You're a cop right?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Reporter?" she tried again.

Another head shake, "nope." He was having trouble stopping himself from smiling at her. It felt good to hear the sound of her voice.

"We've met before, you look very familiar." Her voice was emphatic. Her countenance was determined but light at the same time.

"Well, maybe I've just got one of those faces." He replied without taking his eyes off of hers.

She smiled a little, her eyes narrowing. "Okay," she said. The inflection of her voice indicated that she didn't really believe his answer.

She looked back over her shoulder at the crime scene briefly, before turning back to him. He could see her stand up a little straighter and her demeanor changed, growing confident and assured, switching subjects back to the story she was reporting. "Question: what do you like better? 'Vampire slaying rocks L.A….'"

_Vampires? Whoa that was fast. _"There's no such thing as vampires." He cut her off gently.

She turned away from him again to stare at the fountain. "I don't think the girl in the fountain would agree. I mean…"

He didn't wait for her to finish her thought. He used the opportunity to dart away, leaving her there alone.

* * *

><p>So there it was… the word that had escaped her. Out of her mouth not mine. Vampire.<p>

She is a reporter, and was covering a murder story. Okay, yes, I am aware of that. But why in God's name did she have to be investigating a case with a vampire angle? Really, what are the odds of that? Maybe somewhere in the back of her mind the word had been lingering there for years, since childhood.

Unfortunately since Beth had to go and put a vampire twist on this murder case, I was now obligated to investigate it. I am a private investigator after all. In the name of security and secrecy, it would not due to have a vampire dropping drained human bodies in places like a public fountain for humans to find. I went to visit my best friend Josef and he wasted no time pointing this out to me. Josef tends to be paranoid, but then again, he's 400 years old, so he's seen a lot more threats to vampire society than I have. Sometimes it pays to be cautious.

I promised Josef I'd figure out who had killed the girl and stop them before any of the wrong people started nosing around about the existence of vampires.

It wasn't hard to figure out that a vampire didn't actually commit the murder. For starters, the girl wasn't drained of blood. Any vampire who had no inclination to let his victim live would have just drained her dry. It appeared that this crime was committed by a human, some idiot inadvertently drawing attention to our community.

I really was trying to concentrate on my investigation, but it felt like everywhere I turned I kept running into Beth. She was continuing to follow the case. She's one hell of a determined reporter. Of course I was also forced to explain more about myself than I'm used to. Truth be told, when it comes to my interactions with humans I try reveal as little as possible. In Beth's case though, I did tell her that I'm a P.I., letting her believe that the only reason we'd met at the fountain was my professional interest in the crime.

Not that she was the only one extracting information. I did manage to learn a few things about her life. Details like, she has a boyfriend.

And this is a problem why exactly you ask? Good damn question. Of course she has a boyfriend. I should have been happy that she had someone in her life shouldn't I? At least, I am aware that I _should_ be happy about it. I'm going to keep repeating this to myself until it sinks in. I'll just keep ignoring the uncomfortable tight sensation that fills up my chest when she answers her phone and talks to him.

Between the two of us we established pretty quickly that the main suspect for the killings was a college professor. The victim had been a student in his class. Now I usually have a way of handling a situation like this, off of the books so to speak. Unfortunately it appeared that I underestimated exactly how far Beth would go to get her story. She had a few unorthodox ideas of her own about how to proceed.

I'm not entirely sure why she thought going undercover, alone, to investigate a murderer was a wise idea. I am guessing though, that it wouldn't have done me much good asking her not to go. If there's one thing I've learned through my recent contact, Beth knows her own mind and does what she wants. I doubt my fears for her safety would register.

So my concerns aside, Beth dressed herself up as a student, got herself invited to a private study session with the good professor, and strapped a microphone to her body. She went ahead into the lion's den.

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><p>Mick was in his car, racing across town. As he did so he was repeatedly dialing Beth's phone number.<p>

_Come on, please answer the phone. _His thoughts hammered at him. She wasn't answering.

He'd gone to interview another student from the professor's class, Chloe. This student had, at one time, been close friends with the victim. Meanwhile Beth was currently undercover, interviewing the professor.

He'd reached the diner where Chloe worked as a waitress. It was only after he'd gone inside that everything had unraveled. Chloe lay on the floor of the diner, stabbed with two puncture wounds in the neck, a second dead girl.

Multiple victims, this was getting much worse, fast. His mind had started to swim with fear. Beth was in danger. He could feel it. He'd dropped an anonymous call to the police, leading them to Chloe's body, before jumping in his car.

When he reached the professor's building at the college he'd headed straight for the basement where Beth was supposed to be. He had found the professor alone, disheveled and uneasy. Beth's scent was hanging heavy in the room. There had been a struggle here. He could smell it.

Mick had grabbed the man, knocked him down, and let the vampire within come to the surface to take over. He had snarled, threatening the professor with bared fangs, demanding to know what had been done with Beth. When the professor had recovered enough from his shock to respond, he could only stammer that she was gone. She had left on her own, angry but uninjured.

Mick released the professor and took off toward the exit. The professor wasn't the killer. If he had been, Beth wouldn't have escaped so easily. He burst through the door to the outside and froze. He inhaled a deep breath through his nose, searching for Beth's scent. He found it. More than that though, he could smell fear, pain… some sort of drug…

The killer had been here, found her, pumped a sedative into her and taken her with him. A shock of panic ran through his body. His muscles tensed from his toes to his fingertips. The killer had Beth. This couldn't be happening again. He couldn't let something happen to her.

Mick took off running at top speed following Beth's scent.

He reached the parking lot where he could see a car driving away. He could make out Beth's form in the passenger seat. Her head was slumped to the side at an unnatural angle, resting against the window. In the driver's seat was the professor's assistant, Daniel.

Mick sped up, pumping his legs faster than any human could manage. When he had reached the car at last, he punched his fist through the driver's side window, breaking the glass and fastening his arm around the killer's neck in a choke hold. Daniel shrieked and tried to pull out of Mick's grasp, but he was no match for the strength of a vampire.

Daniel struggled but kept his foot on the gas, even if his hands had left the wheel. The car fishtailed back and forth through the lot, sideswiping other cars as it went, accelerating.

_Stop the fucking car man! _

Mick looked up just in time to see that they were going to collide with a truck. He released his hold on Daniel's neck and was thrown free, flying through the air to land on the pavement with a hard thwack.

His ears were ringing, but he could hear heard a loud crash as the car struck something. After a moment he groaned and was able to roll onto his back. A throbbing pain in his side told him that he'd broken a rib. He looked over at the car. It had hit a light pole head on.

It registered with alarm that the driver's side door was open and Daniel was staggering out. Mick could see some sort of sharp instrument in Daniel's hand. As Mick watched, Daniel crossed around the car, to the passenger side where Beth was seated.

_No! Damn it, leave her alone._ He struggled to his feet and walked with a swaying step toward the car, picking up speed as he went. Daniel grasped the passenger side door handle pulling it open and was reaching down toward Beth. Mick had almost closed the distance.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her!"

Daniel's head jerked toward the sound of Mick's voice. He straightened up and as Mick put his arms out to grab him, Daniel shoved the ice pick contained in his right hand directly into Mick's abdomen.

Mick gave a loud grunt as the weapon slid in. A shooting pain erupted in his mid-section and he dropped to his knees. Neither man moved for an instant. But the pain was already disappearing, and Mick raised his eyes to meet Daniel's. The young assistant's face colored with surprise. Mick rose laboriously to his feet. The pick was still piercing his body. He kept his eyes on Daniel's as he wrapped his hand around the handle of the weapon and withdrew it. He could hear Daniel's breathing speed up and the scent of fear poured out of him.

Mick's right hand darted out, his fingers grabbing onto the killer's throat, squeezing. "Shouldn't have done that," he told him. He stabbed the ice pick into Daniel's belly.

_You're not going to hurt anyone every again buddy. _

Mick thrust upward with his right hand, throwing Daniel's body hard into the light pole. Daniel slammed into it and landed back on the car windshield with a loud boom, motionless.

Mick stared at Daniel for a moment longer, his chest heaved with shallow breaths. At last he turned toward Beth. With bleary eyes she was watching him. He strained his hearing for her heartbeat and found it. It was a bit slow, because of the drugs he thought, but she'd live.

He leaned down over her and slid his right arm under her knees and his left arm around her back, lifting her out of the car. She wrapped one arm around his neck and laid her head onto his shoulder. Her eyes had slipped shut.

There was a pain around Mick's heart, and unlike the cracked rib and stab wound, it wasn't healing quickly.

_You almost lost her._ It was stuck in his brain on repeat.

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><p>Now rationally, I realize that my going to see her that night at the fountain didn't put her in harm's way. From what I can see, she is completely capable of doing that all on her own and would have found trouble even without my presence. But knowing how good she has become at putting herself in dangerous situations does make it difficult for me to walk away. I've had trouble doing that for the past twenty-two years.<p>

I suppose you're wondering why it was I recognized her face on that news report. See, there is a reason I feel driven to protect Beth. It's because of me that she almost died as a child.

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><p>(1985)<p>

Mick St John had caught one hell of a case. He'd made it his practice over the years not to get any more involved in human affairs than was necessary. When he'd deviated from this course in the past, he'd usually ended up regretting it. Still though, because of his profession as a private investigator, a certain level of contact was a necessity. And as much as he tried to stay detached, his current client was turning that into a challenge.

There had been a knock on his office door. When he'd answered it, he found a petite brunette woman, probably in her mid-thirties. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She grasped him by the arms and dropped her head onto his chest, dissolving into sobs. Through her tears she managed to convey that her daughter had been kidnapped, taken from her bed in the night. The woman was shaking and gasping for breath, beside herself with fear.

He didn't have the heart to turn her away, not with the little girl's life in jeopardy. He'd gone with his new client to her home to gather what clues he could. As he had stood in the child's bedroom, he'd sucked a deep breath in through his nose, picking up the scents still lingering in the air, traces that no human could be aware of. First there was the little girl, sweet and smelling of apple shampoo. Layered over that was the tainted whiff of pure terror, the adrenaline that was released when the child was grabbed. This second scent he could pick up strongest first by her bed, moving in a trail out the window. He inhaled again, attempting to identify the third emanation, the aura of the kidnapper.

His eyes popped wide and his stomach clenched in pain as he placed the last scent. Her perfume was unmistakable. He'd been swamped in her fragrance for the last thirty years. It was his ex-wife, Coraline.

He turned his shocked gaze back to the little girl's mother. Beth's mother he reminded himself. The small blond child was named Beth. Her mother's eyes held a frantic glint.

"What is it? Did you find something?" Her voice was panicked and hopeful at the same time.

"I think I know who took your daughter," he told her with a shaky voice.

The woman gasped. "Who? Do you know where they took her?"

Mick shook his head, staring at the empty bed. "No, but I'm going to find out." He couldn't answer the first question, the who, for her. He turned back to Beth's mother. "Stay here. It's too dangerous for you to come with me."

"But…" she began to plead.

"No," he told her in a firm voice. "I mean it. Stay here. I will call you as soon as I know something."

The woman bit her lower lip as fresh tears slid down her face. "Alright," she managed to say.

Mick fled out of the bedroom and the small house as fast as he could manage.

He knew of several hiding places that Coraline kept across the city. Of course it was possible that she'd taken the child to her mansion in the Hollywood Hills, but he thought it unlikely. That location was too exposed. Both friends and fawning admirers alike knew to call on her there, and did with frequency. He was stopping at one of her haunts, a crumbling abandoned home in a rundown neighborhood, with grimy dirt caked walls and windows covered by chain link fence.

Mick approached the house cautiously, creeping up the ancient boards that comprised the front steps. The wood creaked under each footstep. When he had reached the front door he closed his fingers around the knob and twisted. The door popped open revealing a damp, musty hallway. He took a breath. Their scents were here, both Beth and Coraline.

He grabbed an oil lamp off of a side table that was sitting on his left, just inside the entryway. Fumbling in his jacket pocket, he located a match, striking it and lighting the lamp's wick. The sickly yellow glow cast by the lantern did nothing to improve the appearance of the wreck of a building. He swallowed down a wave of nausea, thinking of how frightened Beth must be in this awful place.

He tracked the trail to a back bedroom. Pushing the door with one hand, it swung open in a slow arc revealing the room beyond. Standing on the far side, a small girl with bright blond hair and blue eyes turned her head toward him in alarm. Her face betrayed the vestiges of tears; wet streaks that shown in the light.

Mick kept his voice soft and soothing, holding out his hand, gesturing for her to stay where she was and not run. "It's alright. I'm here, it's alright."

Beth's eyes rose over her shoulder up to the top of the room. He followed her glance in time to see Coraline clinging to the ceiling, bracing her powerful legs against the walls in the corner. He watched her push off and float down from her perch with a swooping noise, the sheer fabric of her long white dress billowing out behind her, making her look like an angel. She landed lightly on her feet and glided over behind Beth before he could stop her, grasping the child by the shoulders.

"I knew you would come." Coraline's eyes sparkled and the corners of her mouth turned up in triumph. If he wasn't mistaken, she was joyful that he'd arrived. Beth's feature grew pinched. He could see tension contracting the muscles of her body at Coraline's touch.

"Here we are, Mick, finally, one happy family," Coraline continued. She took her hands and ran them along the sides of Beth's face.

Mick met the frightened child's gaze. "Beth, it's going to be alright." He reassured her.

He let his eyes rise to meet Coraline's. His blood was boiling in his veins, leaving a loud thrumming sensation in his ears. "You're not gonna do this." His voice was a menacing growl.

"It'll work Mick… you, me, and baby," Coraline cooed, her voice seductive. Her eyes were firmly fastened onto his.

"No!" His brow furrowed and he responded, his tone sharp and angry. "I'm not going to let you hurt that girl. I can't let you." He was dying to take another look at Beth, to try and console her, but he didn't dare take his eyes off of Coraline. At the edge of his vision he could see Coraline use her hand to push Beth behind her into the corner. He could hear Beth whimpering.

He knew what was coming next before it happened.

In a flash, Coraline's eyes shifted from their normal dark brown to a pale icy blue. She opened her mouth in a snarl and as he watched, her eye teeth lengthened into sharp, pointed fangs. The noise that escaped her throat was a guttural growl, more at home in a wild animal than in a woman. She lunged at him with both arms, striking him in the chest with her hands. He was caught off guard and he careened backward slamming into a wall. Recovering quickly, he dropped to his knees in a crouch and let himself transform. The vampire came to the surface, taking over. He could feel his own eyes and teeth change. A familiar rush of power flooded his limbs.

He roared back at her baring his own fangs. Mick sprang forward at Coraline and grabbed her, spinning her sideways so that she went crashing through a partition that divided the room. The sound of shattering glass surrounded them as shards flew everywhere. He had Coraline pinned on her back. She was thrashing back and forth, beating him with her hands, snapping with her teeth. She planted her hands in his chest and thrust upward, sending him flying backwards again. He rose to his feet and she was on him. He threw a punch, landing it on her jaw. She stumbled but responded in turn with blows of her own.

They grappled with each other, and she pushed him across the small space till his back was pressed into a beam. He was flailing his arms, trying to shove her away, when she crushed her lips to his in a violent kiss, her fangs digging into his skin and drawing blood. He jerked his head back, away from her. She moved her mouth to his neck, sinking her teeth into his flesh with great force. A sharp ripping pain tore through him.

He drove his head back against the beam behind him. There was a loud crack as the beam gave way, sending both of them crashing to the floor. Using his legs to flip himself over, he landed on top of Coraline before she could react. His right hand shot out, his fingers closing around a long piece of broken wood. Without pausing to think, he raised the hand containing the stake high over Coraline's chest and brought it down, letting the wood puncture her heart. Her body froze motionless beneath him at once.

He was still on top of her, staring down at her pale, yet beautiful face. A long shaky breath escaped him. How had they come to this? How could she ever consider…

The girl… Beth… My God, what was she thinking right now? How terrified must she be?

He got to his feet. Various aches from the fight could still be felt but were fading quickly as he healed. He forced the vampire down, to go dormant within him, and he could feel his body returning to a state that, on the surface, resembled human. He turned and rushed to the corner where the little girl's small form was hunched. Her breathing was rapid and could see her shoulders trembling. Her eyes locked on to his face, her features contorted with fear.

She wouldn't trust him, wouldn't go with him. How could she after what she'd just witnessed?

Nonetheless, he held out his hand to her. He tried to make his voice as comforting as possible. "Come on. I'm gonna take you home," he told her.

She hesitated for the barest of seconds, before stepping forward towards him, letting him lift her.

With her small, fragile body cradled in his arms a fresh wave of fury flashed up through him from deep in his gut. How could she consider turning this girl? How much of a monster had Coraline become, and what would make her think he would have ever consented to it?

As he reached the door to the room he shot a look back at Coraline, still paralyzed on the floor with the wooden stake through her heart. It was too much. She'd gone too far, and she wasn't coming back.

He grabbed the closest oil lantern and tossed it to the floor where the contents ignited in a bright orange burst. He didn't stay to watch as the curtains and the bedding went up in flames. He only hurried out of the house toward the street, clinging to the innocent charge whose thin arms were wrapped around his neck.

He'd almost gotten safely away, when he was struck by the impulse to turn and look back. His heart constricted in his chest. Jesus… he'd loved her so much…

He stared at the window, through which he could see the room they'd just left. Bright orange and red tongues of fire were ripping through it. Just then she appeared in the window, popping up to pound her fists on the glass, her hair outlined by the glow.

Enough… he was done. He turned away again, leaving Coraline there to die in the inferno. She didn't matter anymore. What mattered most was already in his arms. Protecting her and bringing her home where she would be safe.

* * *

><p>Since that rescue all those years ago, I've felt responsible for protecting Beth. I have taken the liberty of checking on her over the years. You can question the wisdom of my doing this. I am not supposed to be sentimental. I am certainly not supposed to cultivate a connection to a human. Besides, I should leave her alone if only because it's my fault she was ever put in danger to begin with. Indirectly my fault, but that doesn't make me feel any better.<p>

The last time I checked on her she was still a kid. At least that's what I saw. This is probably the chief reason I was so unprepared this time. She is, most definitely, no longer a child. Now today, I was there when she needed me to protect her, and for the first time since that night twenty-two years ago, I carried Beth in my arms again, the woman instead of the child.

I can't help but wonder what the cost has been though, or will be, to me. But I can't deny that holding her feels good. It touches the soul that I forgot I had.

* * *

><p>They were sitting on the couch in Mick's apartment. He stood up to walk her to the door. He knew that he needed to take her home. She had begun to ask too many questions, dangerous questions. She wanted to know about her kidnapping as a child. Why did she feel like he had saved her all those years ago? But that couldn't be could it? She also wanted to know how it was possible that she'd seen him stabbed, and now he was healed. He knew that evading her questions wouldn't work forever.<p>

He offered his hand to her and she took it, rising from the couch. But instead of turning away, she stood with her eyes fixed on his face. In her gaze he could see her confusion. He could see her humanity and her fragility. He understood that she was trying to come to terms with a connection to him that she didn't comprehend. In that moment though, he didn't care that he wasn't allowed to tell her why she thought she knew him. He didn't care that he should convince her to leave him and not look back. Her beautiful face and shaken gaze was turned on him, wanting something to hold on to. Looking for something he wished he could give her.

Without taking her eyes off his own, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. She pressed her nose and mouth into his shoulder, and he was surrounded by her. His nose was filled with her scent, his ears could hear nothing but her pulse – still racing a bit, the softness of her hair brushed his cheek, and the warmth of her body poured into him through his shirt. For the second time in hours he was holding her, but this time she was awake, and she there by her own choice. He hesitated, but he gave in to the comfort she was willing to give him, gave in to the comfort he wanted to provide her. He wrapped his arms around her, and wanting to just exist in the sensations pouring into him, he closed his eyes and let time stand still. Just for a moment, he held her in his arms.

His Beth.

Before he had to release her back to the world, and her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of episode 2, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who are reading. Please leave a review with your thoughts if you can. Hearing what you guys think really does help me construct future chapters. :) This is a revised, longer chapter from what I originally had on this site.

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><p>Mick was standing stock still in the living room area of his apartment, staring in disbelief at the television screen. On the TV he had opened a browser with Buzzwire's web page. Beth was interviewing a woman, an author and a friend, about a book that she had written. Since Beth's first appearance on the news web site a few weeks ago, Mick had already gotten into the habit of checking Buzzwire's site for her reports every evening.<p>

He wasn't sure if it could be considered fortunate or not that Beth's job was as a reporter for a web site. Reason being, she was right there on the screen every day now. It was this ease of access to seeing her that one could view as a potential issue, depending on your point of view. He guessed it was a bit of a problem, being that he pretty much rose from the freezer where he slept during daylight hours, showered and dressed, then checked the web site before doing anything else.

He had already been in the habit of checking on her, there just had not been many easy opportunities, but since rescuing her a few weeks ago… since she'd hugged him a few weeks ago... things felt different. If challenged on it he'd say he had always been concerned for her safety and well-being. If he was being honest however, he'd have to admit it just made him feel good to see her.

He knew that Josef in particular would find this particular obsession objectionable. His closest friend was a vocal advocate against human interactions that put said humans in any position other than servitude. Humans were employees or a food source to Josef. If they happened to be a beautiful young woman like Beth, they might have all sorts of entertaining prospects, but Mick thought Josef never really considered them friends. For one thing there were too many secrets to be kept.

But it wasn't Josef's opinions about humans that was troubling Mick at this moment. It was the subject of Beth's interview that disturbed him.

"He's finally getting out, isn't he?" Beth asked the woman seated across from her.

"Yes," her friend nodded back in agreement. "A lot of us have worked a long time for this moment."

Beth turned her gaze to address the camera directly. "I am talking to my good friend Julia Stevens, newspaper reporter and author of the upcoming book Wronged Man. It's about Lee Jay Spaulding, a man who has spent 25 years in prison."

"For a crime he didn't commit," Beth's friend Julia was quick to interject.

"And he just won his parole. Is that right?" Beth asked with a smile.

Mick could feel the muscles in his back and shoulders tightening as a purple haze of agitation coursed through his system. _FUCK! Of all the damn criminals in the world, they let out this asshole. _He was trying not to let his thoughts run away with him, but it wasn't easy.

He was so distracted by Beth's interview that he didn't immediately notice the sound of his apartment door opening. When it hit him that a person was entering his space without permission, an internal warning flared up and his muscles tensed for a fight. Thankfully the sensation was brief. It only took one deep breath, pulling in the scent of the intruder, to identify that it was Josef. Josef was the only other individual with an entry key and took full advantage of this fact every chance he could.

Mick didn't pull his eyes off of Beth, still conducting her interview on the television but started speaking to Josef without looking at him.

"Have you seen this?" Mick asked. "They're letting him out." He was seething and could feel anger pouring out of him in muddy waves. He was sure Josef could sense his disposition and shot a quick look over to his friend.

"Yeah, I knew you'd be on the war path," Josef answered him, "So I brought you some fresh blood." He gave Mick a winning smile as he raised a stoppered carafe containing a suspiciously viscous ruby liquid with one hand.

_That's not the blood I want at the moment Josef. _Mick watched the screen for a moment longer before turning away in disgust.

The television was seated on a stand at one end of his small living room area. On the side closest to the apartment entrance a butterscotch colored leather couch with box arms sat with its back toward the door, an entry table behind it. Opposite the couch and farther from the door, were two matching chairs. Between them was the coffee table, in front of which Josef was currently standing, uncorking the bottle he'd been carrying. "Never underestimate the stupidity of what humans will do," Mick told him waving one hand in the air for emphasis. He stopped at the far end of the table, near a third chair and glowered at no one in particular.

"Hey, cut them some slack." Josef advised him nonplussed. "I believe you used to be one, before you became a vampire."

_Cut them slack? You're normally the poster boy for paranoia, and you're telling me to ease up? _On some level he knew that Josef was only trying to talk him off the ledge, something that Mick had often done when their respective positions were reversed, but he was in no mood to be appeased right now. Mick shot a dark look sideways at Josef who was busy pouring the red liquid into a tall stemmed glass.

Josef was dressed in typical attire for the wealthy business man, an expensive designer black suit and a gray striped silk shirt, minus the tie. For vampire that had been born in the 1600's, Josef always looked completely at ease in the 21st century. The only aspect of his appearance that would give anyone who didn't know better pause, was the correspondence of his youthful boyish face with his apparent abundant financial resources and high status in the world populated by businessmen and stock brokers. He looked 25 and yet was a billionaire who expected that people jump when he snapped his fingers, which most did.

Most but not all anyway. It was fortunate that Josef had learned long ago that Mick did not fall into the category of individuals who obeyed his commands so quickly and easily. He was also grateful that this reality did not seem to bother Josef and they had remained friends throughout the years.

Mick reached out and took an offered glass from Josef, swallowing a long gulp.

Josef finally turned to look at the TV and Beth's interview. "Hey, is that your friend? The blond?" Josef stood a little straighter as his attention perked up. "Hmm, I'd like to meet her someday."

Mick's gaze flicked to Josef in annoyance._ Right, like I'm going to let you anywhere near her_. Josef must have felt the sting of Mick's eyes boring a hole in the back of his head. He glanced over and looked genuinely surprised when he caught Mick glaring at him. "What? I'm just saying," he told him with an innocent smile.

On the screen Beth's friend Julia was going on about what an amazing person Lee Jay was. How he held no grudge against those who had wrongly convicted him and left him in prison for 25 years. Mick huffed a breath in irritation and shook his head.

Josef just let out an amused snort. "Please, I should get her to write a book about me." He used the carafe in his right hand to gesture at the screen. "Make me sound all innocent and suffering." He drained his own glass and sat down on the leather couch, reclining against the arm rest. "Humans don't know how to properly deal with their bad guys. What else is new?" He poured himself a second drink. "You want take matters into your own hands," he instructed. "Now come on, I've got a few hours to kill." He looked up at Mick, the corners of his mouth curving up into a smile.

Mick didn't answer Josef, only gave him a silent stare in return.

Josef shrugged in what Mick assumed was acknowledgement that they weren't going to go out and terminate Lee Jay right this minute. Turning away from Mick, he set his glass and the bottle back on the table in front on him. "Look, otherwise just let the guilt go, ok? What this guy Lee Jay did, that wasn't your fault," Josef finished.

"Yes, it was," Mick insisted. "You weren't there. A woman's dead because of me."

* * *

><p>I have many regrets in my life as a vampire. There's a very long list. One of the items on this list is a murderer by the name of Lee Jay Spaulding.<p>

In 1983 a woman paid me to protect her from an ex-boyfriend. I was cocky and overly confident back then. And I was naive enough to think that I could scare Lee Jay into leaving Eileen alone. I stalked him, caught him, snarled and showed my fangs, gave him a few words of warning. I thought he'd be out of her life after that. I mean, I'm a vampire, I'm that scary right? Unfortunately Eileen suffered for my stupidity. Lee Jay ignored my threat. He murdered her, making it look like she had shot herself and committed suicide.

In my fury I vowed to take care of Lee Jay, remove him from the world permanently, as I should have before. I owed that much to Eileen. Unfortunately, there again I failed her.

I had followed Lee Jay and cornered him in a dark alley. I let the vampire side of me surface and was barely containing a blind rage. I jumped on Lee Jay, roared and started to feed. I had no intention of stopping before he was dead. Then out of the blue there were lights and a siren. A cop car had entered the alley and had caught us in its headlamps. I had no choice. I fled, leaving Lee Jay, scarred but alive.

It was far from my finest hour. Lee Jay did end up going to prison for his crimes, but he also knew what I was. Or he had a fairly good idea, not a safe state of affairs. All these years later Lee Jay was being released from prison. And to add insult to injury he had convinced this writer friend of Beth's that he'd been wrongly convicted and she'd written a book extoling his innocence.

* * *

><p>Mick was sitting in the high backed deep chair nearest to where Josef was seated on the couch. He finished telling Josef the story of Eileen's case, what had happened to her, and how Lee Jay had escaped. Escaped with a new found knowledge regarding the existence of vampires.<p>

Josef's face was drawn and serious. "Wow," he exclaimed in a low quiet voice. He met Mick's eyes. "You really did mess up."

Mick swallowed thickly and dropped his head against the chair back. He trained his eyes on the ceiling. _This time I actually wish you didn't agree with me,_ Mick thought.

"You absolutely better waste this guy," Josef continued.

Mick's forehead furrowed and he shook his head. "It's not that simple."

"Yeah, it is," Josef urged him. Mick stood up and turned away, unable to stand Josef's pointed gaze any longer. He walked a short distance to one of the tinted and blind covered windows on outside wall of his apartment. He balled his left hand into a fist, pounding it once lightly against the metal window frame.

"What if he decides to go Van Helsing and come after you?" Josef asked from behind him.

_Good question._ He had been thinking the same thing. Too bad he didn't have an answer for that one.

* * *

><p>I understand Josef's concerns. And I don't disagree with him, but Lee Jay is attracting way too much attention right now for me to go out and kill him in cold blood.<p>

With all my attention on Lee Jay's release, I don't know why it didn't occur to me to ask what was in that book. The author called me asking for an interview several times over the last year, but I managed to avoid her. Not that I wouldn't have loved to share some of the details about Lee Jay that were being overlooked, mostly that he's a violent thug with a tendency toward domestic abuse, but I can't very well talk to an author about a twenty five year old case when I am supposed to be thirty myself.

I never thought that the author would go as far as finding a picture of me and putting it in her book, but turns out she had.

And turns out… Beth has seen it.

* * *

><p>Mick could hear the doorbell ringing and jogged over to the apartment entrance. Before he opened it, he always checked the small video screen that was set into the wall, just to the left of his front door. It displayed the feed from a camera mounted on the other side, giving him a view of the hallway and the person standing there. At least he knew it wouldn't be Josef this time since this person was ringing the bell and waiting to be admitted.<p>

He got close enough to make out the image of the person standing in front of the door. A shot of adrenaline swooped through his veins.

Beth was outside the door to his apartment.

_What am I supposed to say to her?_ This would have been hard enough considering the last time he'd seen her he'd just saved her life. Add in her connection to this whole Lee Jay mess, he wasn't sure where to even begin.

He closed his hand around the door handle and pulled it open.

Beth stood in front of him, staring without moving for a moment. Wearing a neat tan jacket over a pink top with subdued makeup and hair, she gave off a composed appearance. A small smile hinted on her mouth when she finally walked past him into the apartment. Once inside, she stopped and turned on her heel to look at him, her eyebrows raised a little in an embarrassed but amused question. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with a gift that says: thanks for saving me from a psycho serial killer?" He could hear her heartbeat. Its rapid clip betrayed her nerves.

He cocked his head to one side and gave her a slight smile back as he shut the door behind him and walked over to her. "Ms. Manners doesn't cover that?" he asked her narrowing his eyes.

"Surprisingly, no." She laughed a little.

_I love the sound of her laugh. _

"So..." she raised her hands and held out a tube shaped container.

_She actually brought a gift? _He tamped down the urge to smile at her again. Instead he took the package from her outstretched hands and looked down to read the label. "Oh," he exclaimed softly, his eyes widening. He looked back at her. "25 year old single malt. Thank you." He nodded his head.

_Well, she's got good taste in liquor, I've got to give that to her._

Before he could come up with something else to say, she was looking away from him, reaching into her oversized shoulder bag and rummaging around inside, as if trying to find something. "I thought you might want to see this," she told him. She pulled out a book.

Not just a book… but the book, the one from her interview about Lee Jay.

_Damn it, not good._ He averted his eyes and brushed past her, walking over to a credenza set against the outside wall and setting down the container of scotch on top of it.

Beth did not appear to immediately notice his discomfort. She was flipping through the book's pages as if searching for something. "A friend of mine wrote it," she said. She found what she was looking for and moved to follow him across the room. "There was a P.I. involved in this case called Mick St. John."

His stomach clenched and he grit his teeth. _Leave it to Beth to pick up on that detail._ "Really?" He tried to keep his voice nonchalant as he turned to respond to her.

Beth had stopped right next to him. She held out the book to show him a something. "So?" Her voice raised in question, and her wide blue eyes searched his face with interest.

A sinking sensation hit him. _Wow, they actually found a picture of me. _He was looking at a black and white photograph of himself taken in 1950. His hair had been slicked back in the fashion of the day and he was wearing a light colored suit and tie. It was an ID photo so he wasn't smiling, only staring back at the camera with a blank expression. The photo had been taken before he had become a vampire.

_And this would be why Josef doesn't want me to get too close to humans. _There was a great deal about being a vampire that was easy to hide. The not aging thing however… there was no getting around that particular detail. Humans did tend to notice things like that, especially sharp minded ones like Beth.

"That's my father," he told her lightly, hoping she accept his explanation.

"Looks more like your twin," she blinked up at him.

_Not a twin exactly._ "I inherited some strong genes." He closed the book and put it down.

Her face darkened only briefly with a suspicious expression before she moved on with her questions. "The book says your father had a serious run in with Lee Jay. Did he ever tell you about that?"

_You could say that._

"Kind of…" He wanted to make her understand without giving too much away. Mick turned so that he was facing her, leaning against the piece of furniture behind him. He locked his eyes on to hers. "He told me Lee Jay was one of those broken individuals who can't stop themselves… that they have to kill. So, you might want to tell your friend that she's got it all wrong."

Beth was watching him closely. Her features were somber and attentive as she took in every word. "She's a really good reporter." She shook her head and argued with him. "She researched this very carefully."

A dark flame ignited in his chest at the memory of Eileen's death and he took a breath. _Why are humans so blind when it comes to the monsters of the world? _

"Tell her she got it wrong," he repeated. There was a touch more anger in his voice than he'd intended.

Beth paused to consider his words. "Ok," she responded slowly.

"And tell her to be careful," he warned her in a stony voice.

An awkward silence drew out between them as Beth stared back at him for a long moment, confusion playing in her eyes.

_I wish I could tell you more and make you understand, _he thought.

But there were too many secrets and no way to explain. He'd already risked too much as it was.

"I guess... I should go," she said at last with an apologetic nod. He saw a flash of hurt on her face and he knew his stilted reaction had caused it.

Part of him wanted to stop her, but he just watched as she crossed the space to the apartment door, moving through it and shutting it behind her.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for guilt to set in over my last conversation with Beth. I know that I should just leave it and let her be. If she has bruised feeling because I'm cold and distant, then she'll stay away from me, which would be safer for all parties involved.<p>

It's too bad then that I've never been very good at staying on the path of wisdom and caution.

I had heard there was going to be a launch party promoting Lee Jay's book, and decided that it was time to pay him a little visit, rattle his cage. Isn't the best defense supposed to be a good offense? Besides, I'm fairly certain that Beth would also be there.

It wasn't hard to crash the party. I was lurking in the back of the room, keeping watch for both Beth and Lee Jay. The guests were crammed into the small ballroom of an upscale hotel, so the party was noisy and crowded. I drew little attention.

It didn't take long for Beth to spot me. She was dressed up for the occasion in a black cocktail dress with a deep neckline. Her hair was curled and partly pulled back. Blond tendrils framed her face.

And I thought she looked amazing the other times I've seen her recently. At some point I need to get a handle on the physical sensation that hits me when I see her. You'd think I was a teenage boy the way my stomach flips and my nonexistent pulse pounds. Makes it just a bit difficult to concentrate. Still it was a relief that her expression indicated she was surprised but happy to see me.

She approached me, her eyes sparkling with questions, and asked what I was doing at the party. I explained I had two purposes; the first was to apologize for my behavior earlier. Her face was warm and her body relaxed as she graciously accepted my apology. I confess that it made me feel better to hear her say that.

I then told her my second goal… to give her the case file from Lee Jay's arrest.

Her eyes widened and darted around at my words, making sure no one was in ear shot. She was quick to point out that it was neither the time nor the place for her to be reading about the alleged crimes of the man whose supposed innocence the party goers around us were celebrating.

Not to argue with her… again, but I had to insist she take the file. If Lee Jay has convinced this room of people that he can be trusted, and particularly if Beth's lovely author friend Julia feels safe around him, then it's all the more important that my files reach the right hands.

Lee Jay is not now… nor will he ever be, safe.

It was precisely at that moment, exasperation over my persistence building in Beth's posture and tone, that Julia showed up, striding over to Beth with a pleased smile.

Julia's entire demeanor changed the moment she caught sight of me. She stared in shock as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Beth hurried to introduce me to Julia, Mick St. John Jr., she was telling her friend, when Lee Jay appeared at Julia's side.

Despite the twenty-five year span from the last time I'd seen him, I'd still recognize him instantly. He's over six feet tall, and very muscular, with his head completely shaved. His most distinguish mark however is the noticeable scar on his left cheek, remnants of two deep gashes, spaced about the same distance apart as my fangs. My feeding on Lee Jay had left its mark, permanently.

His keeping such close tabs on Julia does nothing to appease my fears for her safety. On the surface Lee Jay gave the impression of politeness and tolerance, but his eyes held the unmistakable cold glint of a predator. It's a species of being that I'm intimately familiar with and is impossible to completely disguise.

Lee Jay's gaze never left my face, coolly appraising me with little reaction. With a few brief words over the death of my 'father' Julia ushered Lee Jay away to the podium for his speech. But not before Lee Jay assured me that he'd catch me later. I responded in a flat tone that I knew he would.

Beth gave me a backward glance then ran off to find her camera man to tape the speech.

I should have left. Beth had the file and Lee Jay knew I was still watching him. It would have made sense to leave.

Instead of leaving, I waited till his speech was over, and then followed Lee Jay into the bathroom for a little chat.

I told him that I knew who he really was… a murderer. He always will be, and this time I would stop him before he hurts anyone else.

The bastard didn't deny his guilt. He didn't plead his innocence. He didn't even blink. He stared me straight in the eye and told me that since I'm a vampire I've probably killed more people than he has.

His attitude, his arrogance was too much. My temper got the better of me and I went after him. I could feel my eyes shift to a bright ice blue, my fangs descended, and I was across the room in a flash with my fingers wrapped around his throat, set to crush his windpipe. This admittedly would have been a bad idea regardless, considering the nearby crowded room, but it was only when he pulled a stake out and pressed it into my chest that I realized the full extent of my problem with Lee Jay.

Twenty-five years is a long time to do vampire research, and although most of what he's read is probably wrong, there's bound to be a little that he got right. It's also a hell of a long time to plot your revenge.

I released Lee Jay to get away from the stake. He gave me a malevolent smirk before smashing his head into the bathroom mirror and fleeing out into the party with blood pouring down his face, and yelling to all who could hear that I'd attacked him.

* * *

><p>Mick was waiting across the street, outside the hotel. His body was still keyed up and tense with energy from his scuffle with Lee Jay.<p>

Beth was standing near the hotel entrance amidst a crowd of people departing the party. As he watched, Lee Jay and Julia exited the building. He focused his hearing on them and could make out their conversation.

Julia was telling Lee Jay, that they should call the police.

"Don't call the police." Lee Jay responded to her. "I don't want to press charges. He's obviously disturbed. Jail is not what he needs."

_I just bet you have a few ideas about what I need, don't you Lee Jay? _ Somehow Mick doubted that Lee Jay was through with him yet.

Beth's stare followed Lee Jay and Julia as they crossed in front of her. When she caught sight of Mick, she set her jaw with determination and strode across the street to meet him. Anger was blazing in her delicate features.

He groaned internally. _This should be fun. Way to make good impression on her._

"Very nice, is that your party personality?" She bit out her words once she'd reached him, her eyes flashing.

He shook his head slightly but held her stare. "I didn't do anything," he told her in a calm but firm voice.

But she was having none of it. "I'd hate to see what you'd call 'something'," she shot back.

"I didn't touch him," he swore to her. _Well, at least I didn't smash his head into that mirror anyway, _he thought.

Beth narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, right." Judging by her sarcastic tone, she didn't believe him.

"He did that to himself," Mick informed her.

Beth paused for a moment, processing his words. "That's ridiculous," she finally said.

Mick took a breath and looked away from her then back again. "The pain and blood is worth setting me up. It's just the way he thinks," he tried to convince her. "Did you read the case file?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "You know, with all the excitement, I haven't had a chance yet."

"This guy killed two women, Beth," he insisted. "And he pawned them both off as suicides." A spark of doubt crossed her face and Beth shot a look over her shoulder at Lee Jay and Julia getting into Julia's car. Lee Jay met Mick eyes, watching him with a cold, knowing stare as the car started to roll and passed them.

Beth's eyes moved back to Mick's face, still penetrating but less angry. Maybe his words were having an effect after all.

"That guy romancing your friend… he's a killer. Trust me," he pleaded with her, his voice shaking with emotion.

He kept his eyes locked on her face. _Please believe me Beth. _

He couldn't fail again. Not with this guy.

* * *

><p>Mick knew something was wrong the second he stepped out of the elevator. A scent, someone's scent… Lee Jay. Alarm bells started shrieking in his head. His eyes shot down the hall to the door to his apartment. It was cracked open.<p>

Mick crept slowly down the hallway towards the door.

_How the hell did he get in?_

When he reached the entrance, he pushed the door open with his left hand.

From his vantage point in the doorway he could now see the entire apartment. First was the living room area. Behind that, separated by a crystal fireplace was a dining room table and metal chairs. At the far back were shelves of books, his library. Seated in one of the two chairs in front of the books, was Lee Jay Spaulding.

In Lee Jay's left hand he held a book, which he appeared to be reading. In his right hand was a bag of blood, taken Mick presumed from his personal stash hidden in the kitchen.

It felt like all the air had been sucked from his lungs. _How did he even find that?_

Lee Jay looked up at Mick and snapped the book shut. He rose calmly from the chair as if he had no cares in the world. "This is sad." Lee Jay held up the blood bag. "You have... what's the word, food issues?"

"How'd you get in here?" Mick demanded, still standing in the doorway without moving.

Lee Jay stared back at him without a hint of fear. He behaved as if he were in perfect control. "25 years on the inside," he answered Mick. "You get some skills."

Mick on the other hand felt far from in control. "Put that down," he ordered Lee Jay.

"Or what?" Lee Jay asked. "You tear my head off?"

"Yeah," Mick responded under his breath before striding across the room toward Lee Jay. _Oh, I'm going to do worse than that when I get my hands on you._

Lee Jay moved a short distance into the kitchen, on the back left side of the apartment "But the thing is," Lee Jay kept talking casually. "I told everybody I know I was coming over to make peace. Now how would that look? Huh?" He held up one hand as if asking Mick for his thoughts.

Mick stopped in his tracks. _Damn it, I can't even hurt the guy._

As he watched, Lee Jay lifted the blood bag to his mouth and took a sip through the tube, drinking the red liquid. He made a gagging sound and his face contorted. "That's disgusting." He shook his head and dropped the bag onto the floor. "How do you live like this?" He cocked his head to the side as if he were genuinely concerned. "So, what's the deal Mick? You're what? You're stronger than us? Smarter? I got to admit…" Lee Jay smiled a little, "you are the only one who seems to through my B.S." He narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe it's just because you get me. We're not so different, really."

_Oh yes we fucking are! _The pounding noise in his ears grew with every word Lee Jay spoke. He ground his teeth together, attempting to stay in control. "We're nothing alike," he spat out.

"No?" Lee Jay acted surprised. "What's it feel like when you kill somebody? Because I know what it feels like when I do."

The leash holding Mick back snapped and he rushed toward Lee Jay. "Hey, easy… this is your gun, Mick." Lee Jay picked an object up off the kitchen island with a paper towel. "The one you keep hidden behind the desk." Mick froze again, his eyes wide and staring at the gun… his gun.

Lee Jay held up the gun and waved it around slightly. "That's got to be pretty annoying for you using this, when you can tear somebody apart with your teeth."

"Another fake suicide?" Mick scoffed. "Huh? Is that the plan?"

Lee Jay raised the gun and pointed it at Mick, arching one eye brow. "You're so smart. You tell me."

The corner of Mick's mouth curled up in a sneer. _I've got news for you buddy. Go ahead and shoot. "_Well, you better have the right ammunition," he growled.

Lee Jay smiled "Oh, I do." With his free hand he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. Before Mick could register what was happening, Lee Jay had hit a button on the phone, then turned the gun on himself. A deafening crack resounded in the small space and the acrid smell of smoke filled the air, as Lee Jay fired the gun into his own shoulder, dropping to the kitchen floor.

A voice came through the cell phone. "911 What is the nature of your emergency?"

Lee Jay's face was screwed up in pain, but he spoke loudly and clearly into the phone, which had landed close by on the kitchen floor. "I've been shot… by Mick St. John." He looked up and met Mick's eyes.

Panic started coursing through Mick's system. _Oh my God, what has he done? _His gaze careened around the room. There was a bag of blood on the floor, and more in a small fridge set into the wall. _I've got to get out of here._

"You know what? I see it now." Lee Jay started talking to him as Mick sprang into motion, racing around the room collecting the blood. "It's like your own little prison, isn't it, this whole vampire thing?"

"Shut up!" Mick yelled at him, grabbing the bags of blood from the fridge and shoving them into a satchel. He had only minutes before police officers were going to come pouring through his door. And among the many good rules for vampires, high on the list was do _not_ get put in jail.

"You can't have anybody poking around," Lee Jay was still talking. "A girlfriend… anyone who cares… you got a problem." Mick was hurrying to close the satchel when a blood bag fell to the floor near Lee Jay. "Ahh… You're a bundle of nerves." Mick bent over to get the bag and his eyes landed on the gun. Lee Jay saw what he was staring at. "Oh yeah, the gun… you leave it there that looks bad. You take it then it's even worse."

Mick's eyes shot up toward the apartment entrance as he heard the ping of the elevator doors opening. He could also hear the crackle of voices over police radios and stealthy footsteps in the hall. With a last scowl at Lee Jay, he sped out of the apartment down the back stairs.

* * *

><p>I am aware that I should have known better. It stands to reason that Lee Jay would go after me. And once again, I somehow thought that whatever he came up with, I could challenge him.<p>

After fleeing my own apartment, and believe me I can't even begin to tell you how much the running part pisses me off, I met Josef on the top floor of an empty parking garage across town. I don't know why he thought that given my request to keep a low profile, it was appropriate to pull up in a cherry red Ferrari.

"You made the news," Josef informed me with a sarcastic smile.

According to Josef the cops had believed Lee Jay's story. They were charging me with attempted murder, a 25 year penalty, with an additional 15 years for a firearm enhancement. In Lee Jay's mind this would be the perfect revenge. I go to prison just like him, and he gets to go on killing whoever he wants. No one would stop him.

I handed Josef the bag I'd filled in my apartment. If I'm going to get caught, I'd rather not explain why I'm carrying around plastic blood supply bags. I was more than a little taken aback when Josef started accusing me of being off my game.

I tried to argue with him that with all the time Lee Jay's had to plot his strategy, Josef wouldn't have seen this coming either.

Still though, Josef thinks I refuse to kill Lee Jay because I'm afraid of what Beth will think of me.

I swear that's not what this is. Yes, of course I don't want Beth to think badly of me. That much is true. But at the end of the day, if I break Lee Jay's neck and drop him down some dark hole where no one will find him, then no one will ever know what he did to those women. No one will ever know what he did to Eileen. I'm still trying to give her some justice, even if that's too little, too late.

Josef nodded as I explained all this to him, although I think he has his doubts. He told me that regardless I will end up having to leave Los Angeles and relocate, assume a new identity. Move on.

Yeah, sure I leave my life, my home and Lee Jay keeps on killing?

No way… I'm not going anywhere.

If the only way Josef can see to get me out of this is relocating, then I only have one other person I trust to help me.

I went to Beth's apartment.

* * *

><p>Mick was standing in the hallway outside of Beth's apartment staring at the door bell. He took a deep breath. <em>Well here goes nothing.<em> He reached out and rang the bell twice.

After a short interval, the door opened, revealing a man standing on the other side. Short dark brown hair and brown eyes, medium build, wearing a blue button down shirt and khakis, eyes narrowed with confusion, followed closely by dismay. _And this must be her boyfriend, Josh._

"Hey," Mick said by way of greeting, cautiously meeting Josh's eyes, before glancing over his shoulder into the apartment. _I sure as hell hope she's here._

"You're Mick St. John," Josh stated, his voice tinged with shock.

Mick nodded back to him. "Is Beth here?"

"No." Josh didn't pause before answering and Mick could see the muscle in his jaw twitch.

Josh's response wasn't fast enough however. Out of the corner of his eye, Mick could see Beth shoot up from her perch on a kitchen stool and rush over to the door. Her face was tight with concern as she stood behind Josh, staring back at Mick. "They're looking for you," she said.

Mick's eyes followed Josh briefly as Josh bit his lower lip and turned away from the door. His gaze went back to meet Beth's. "I didn't shoot Lee Jay."

"Then why did you run?" she wanted to know. "Why didn't you stay there and tell the police what happened?"

_Because I'm a vampire? _He took a few steps into the apartment, running his eyes over the room, unable to meet her eyes and answer her question. _Because I'm a vampire…_ They were both watching him, expecting him to say something, and there was no good way to explain it.

Mick took a breath and shook his head. "I guess I panicked." It sounded like a hollow excuse in his ears.

Josh was still standing nearby, staring at the two of them. "Look, he can't be here," he directed toward Beth, gesturing to Mick with one hand. "You know that. I'm an attorney."

Beth nodded back at Josh. "I know." She held up her left hand to Josh as if she understood, but she also didn't make any move to make Mick leave.

"In the D.A.'s office," Josh continued, his voice growing more forceful with each statement. His eyes swiveled between Mick and Beth as if trying to gage whether either of them were even hearing him.

_How did you end up with Beth again?_ Mick was getting the very clear sense that Josh was a strictly by the book type of guy. He was wondering if Josh even knew the lengths, not entirely legal, to which Beth had gone in the past, pursuing a story. Right now he was just hoping that Beth's will was stronger than Josh's, and that he could convince her to help him.

"I know," she repeated to Josh.

"I'm harboring a fugitive here." Josh was obviously not giving up this fight easily.

"Listen." Mick interjected. "I understand this looks bad." He turned to address Josh directly.

Josh was still ignoring Mick and keeping his attention on Beth. "I'll get disbarred, and jailed."

"I didn't do anything." Mick insisted loudly. Finally Josh looked over at him. "Ok. This guy comes to my place."

"And what?" Josh interrupted. "Shot himself?" His voice echoed with disbelief.

"Yes." Mick emphasized, not breaking eye contact.

Josh stared back at him for a few seconds, before looking over to Beth for her reaction. Mick did likewise.

"That's what Lee Jay does," Beth ended the standoff, her voice hesitant. "He's staged murders before," she continued to Josh. "It's all in the police files. See for yourself." She pointed behind Josh, to the kitchen countertop where the brown case file folder was sitting.

Mick could see Josh's throat working as he swallowed. He remained motionless, but eventually turned and walked over, picking up the case file.

Beth's eyes moved away from Josh to meet Mick's. She took several steps in his direction, stopping closely in front of him. "I need to know that you're telling the truth." Her voice was firm.

_She believes me. _Relief flooded through Mick's body.

"I am," he told her. "You know I am."

"Because if you're not…" her voice trailed off. He knew she was taking a chance trusting him, and it would be at Josh's expense if it went wrong. He couldn't even express how grateful he was for her faith in him right now.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

* * *

><p>It was a huge relief that not only did Beth let me into her apartment, but she agreed to help me. If it had been left up to her boyfriend Josh on the other hand, I'm pretty sure I'd be in handcuffs by now.<p>

Beth and I talked, and we decided to put my side of the story out there. The benefit of her being a reporter I guess.

There are many advances in my lifetime that I'm happy I've lived long enough to see. Among those is the internet. Beth taped my version of events, and uploaded it to Buzzwire's web site, along with copies of both case files. I explained Lee Jay's long history of violence, the two women he'd killed and made to look like suicide. I also told them how he'd shot himself in my apartment to frame me.

Would Josef be happy about my putting myself out there to tell this story? Giving so many people a look at me? No, of course he wouldn't. Vampires are not supposed to be this high profile. But then again Lee Jay is the one that made this into a major story when he tried to frame me for shooting him. I'm only trying to refocus the attention where it belongs, back on him.

Of course at the end of the day, it's just my word against Lee Jay's. I'm far from out of the woods from a legal standpoint. If Lee Jay had kept his head down and insisted on his version of events, I might have needed that relocation specialist that Josef knows.

The thing is… I'm not the only one with a temper.

I just didn't bank on precisely how bad Lee Jay's can be.

* * *

><p>Mick was wearing a rut in the floor, pacing back and forth across Beth's living room. Josh and Beth were huddled in front of her laptop in the kitchen. The video of Mick's accusations against Lee Jay had been picked up by almost all major media outlets.<p>

_What exactly am I waiting for? Lee Jay or the police?_

The phone rang and Beth answered it, visibly nervous. Julia was on the other end of the line. Mick froze listening to the conversation.

Things had quickly gone downhill from there. Even standing across the room, Mick could hear Julia crying through the phone. The crying was followed by Lee Jay's voice.

"Put him on!" Mick could hear Lee Jay yelling through the phone.

Mick hurried to grab a second phone off an end table in the living room. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"You do not talk to me that way!" Lee Jay growled through the phone. "You forget who you're talking to. I know what you are, Mick." Mick's eyes sprang up to automatically to meet Beth's. He caught a flash of confusion crossing her face, but just as quickly she turned her attention back to the phone.

"Now, here's what I want," Lee Jay continued. "I want you to go down to the nearest police station and I want you to turn yourself in."

Mick shook his head. "I didn't do anything. I'm not going to say that I did."

"You know what, if you feel that way about it, then Julia ends up like Eileen."

"How do I know you won't kill her anyway?" Mick asked. _You're going to kill her no matter what I do._

"You don't." Lee Jay responded. "You got one hour."

Julia's voice was back on the phone. "Please, help me. Please." Her voice came out in a desperate breathless gasp before the line went dead.

* * *

><p>Mick and Beth were in his car. He was driving, and she was tracking the GPS device Mick had stuck on Julia's car at the launch party. Josh was in his own car, on his way to the police, carrying Beth's answering machine, complete with a recording of Lee Jay's threats.<p>

Mick could see Beth look up from the GPS and over at him. "You tried to warn me Julia was in danger." Her voice was full of remorse.

Mick huffed out a breath. "Yeah well, none of us want to believe that there are monsters like Lee Jay right around us."

"You did," she told him.

_Yes well, unfortunately I have a lot more experience with monsters than you do._

He could feel her eyes on his face. "What did he mean 'I know what you are'?"

A twinge of fear hit him in the chest. _I guess it was too much to hope you wouldn't remember that._ He ignored the question and didn't say anything.

But she wasn't going to be deterred that easily. "Mick?" she repeated. "What did he mean?"

"I don't know," he answered quickly, in a dismissive tone that he hoped would end the conversation.

"I don't believe you," Beth challenged him. He shot a quick look away from the road, over to her. She didn't look angry at his lack of response, but leaning more toward intrigued.

He trained his eyes back on the road. "How about we get Julia first?"

She was looking down at the GPS again. "How about you finally answer a question without evading or disappearing?"

"Hour's almost up." He tried again to refocus her attention off of him.

"Like that." There was a hint of annoyance in her tone now.

_Right, like you'd even believe me if I tried to tell you. _

"We all have secrets, Beth," he finally said, looking over at her. "And that's not evading."

Beth only met his eyes briefly before going back to the GPS. "Right here." She pointed for him to turn. "Ok, stop, stop."

Mick pulled his car to a stop. They were now parked in a dark alleyway outside a large, rundown industrial warehouse. The building's slate colored metal walls, coated in rust, rose twenty feet high.

"Alright, I'm going in," he told her. "Open the glove box," he nodded in its direction. Beth put down the GPS and reached out to pull the handle and open the compartment. It popped open revealing the gun he always kept hidden. Without even looking over at him for confirmation, Beth grabbed the gun and carefully removed it.

"Now, do you know how to use that?" he asked her. She turned to him with one raised eyebrow. Holding up the gun, she released the magazine then slapped it back into place with one hand. She then pulled back and let go of the slide, depositing a bullet in the chamber. She glanced back at him, verifying that he'd understood.

_Okay, she can handle a gun. Good to remember. _Why was that not really much of a comforting thought?

"Remember what I said?" he asked.

She nodded. "Call the cops if you're not out in 10 minutes. Don't come inside," she parroted from memory. "I got it."

"Ok," he said as he got out of the car, shutting the door and crossing to the side of the building.

"Why does the girl always have to wait in the car?" He could hear her asking his retreating form as he walked away.

Mick turned a corner of the building. He gave a glance back toward the car, confirming that he was out of Beth's line of sight. He moved closer into another corner, where two walls met to form a V shape. Taking a deep breath, he first crouched down, then pushed up with his legs, springing into the air. He pressed his feet against the walls as he went, propelling himself upward, and in a matter of seconds he reached the roof.

He crept over to the edge and stole a look down at Beth in the car. She was still sitting there, waiting for him. The gun was sitting in her lap.

_Alright, you've confirmed she's still okay after a grand total of thirty seconds. Now time to go find Julia. _

Mick focused his hearing. There was a television set on inside the building. He crossed the roof till he thought he was nearest to the sound, and then peeked into an open window. Below on the warehouse floor, Julia was lying on her side on a couch, bound with zip ties at her hands and feet. Her face was streaked with makeup from crying, but right now her eyes were closed.

Mick ran his eyes over the rest of the room. Two men were seated on folding chairs near Julia, holding shot guns in their laps and watching an old TV. He couldn't see Lee Jay. He inhaled a deep breath through his nose, but the powerful scent of some sort of industrial solvent filled the room, masking his sense of smell.

Mick jumped through the window, flying forward till his hands connected with a steel ceiling beam. He hung there for a second before letting go and dropping down, his long black coat streaming out behind him. He landed on the concrete factory floor behind the two men. Julia's eyes opened and met Mick's. She gave a sharp intake of breath and her guards shot to their feet. He could hear their heartbeats begin to pound wildly.

He was within arm's reach of the first guard. The man didn't even have time to raise his weapon. Mick grabbed his head, and with one strong twist, snapped his neck. Letting him fall to the ground, Mick hurried to close the distance between himself and the second guard. Before he could finish lifting the gun, Mick hit him a roundhouse kick to the chest, sending him tumbling through the air, landing on the concrete, and cracking his head. Mick took a second to listen and verify that the man did appear to be unconscious, and then rushed to Julia's aid.

He seized on the zip ties, first at her feet, then her hands, breaking them. Julia was shaking and she couldn't take her eyes off his face. "Run!" he commanded her.

Julia gave fast bob of her head, and then was on her feet, sprinting away from him.

Mick only heard the shot gun blast a split second before he felt it hit him. Julia screamed and pain exploded through his body. An excruciating sharp ripping sensation spun him around and drove him to his knees. A flash of white light blinded his vision for a split second and he fought not to pass out.

"Silver buck shot," Lee Jay's voice reached him. "Had to special order it." Mick was struggling to regain his feet and stand up. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but silver is like poison to you."

Mick hadn't made it all the way up when the shot gun fired again. He was hit by another blast and landed back on his stomach on the ground, writhing in pain.

"The only thing more deadly to a vampire is fire," he heard Lee Jay saying.

_Fuck!_ The pain was unbelievable, but he rolled onto his back, and tried to focus on what Lee Jay was doing. _Need to get up. Come on, you need to get up. _His body was not obeying his commands right now.

He heard a hiss and a click, and squinted up at Lee Jay. _What the…? Oh shit! _

Lee Jay was advancing on him, holding a lit blow torch.

"Now, I gotta admit…" Lee Jay said as he closed in on Mick, holding up the torch in his right hand. "Part of me wonders what it would be like to live forever. Powerful." Lee Jay stood over him and his foot shot out, connecting with Mick's jaw, snapping his head back. White spots danced in his vision.

Lee Jay leaned down, bringing the torch closer to Mick's face.

"The last thing this world needs is an eternal you," Mick managed to say.

He could see Lee Jay's face hovering above him, lips curled in a sneer, eyes focused and cold. He could feel the heat from the torch, and his hand started to blister. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away. But the heat was so close now.

A shot rang out, and just as suddenly, the torch was gone. Mick eyes flew open and fixed on Lee Jay. He was holding his left hand to his neck, and blood was pouring out through a bullet hole. An expression of utter shock had taken over his features. Lee Jay looked across the room at something, and then stumbled backward, falling down, slowly closing his eyes.

Mick kept his eyes on Lee Jay for a few seconds, listening as his heart beat started to slow. Then with a grimace, he lifted up, propping himself on his right elbow. He focused his eyes across the room. His vision blurred then cleared again.

Beth stood there, gun still in hand, pointed at Lee Jay. She shook as if she would fall down, horror plastered over her face.

"I thought… I'd told you to stay in the car?" He stammered out.

She could only stare back at him wordlessly. As he watched, her legs gave way, and she sank to the warehouse floor in slow motion. Her eyes floated closed and the gun slipped from her fingers onto the concrete.

He forced himself up, swaying to his feet. One hand clutched the wound in his shoulder and he took a few shuffling steps in her direction.

_Beth?! _

He couldn't begin to catalogue what felt worse right now, his body or his heart. "Beth!" He called her name. He needed to reach her, make her open her eyes and look at him. _Beth, open your eyes._

He was halfway to her when he froze in his tracks. The smell of blood overtook him. His entire body tensed and a strangled cry escaped his lips. _Not now, please not now._ He shut his eyes and tried to force the sensation down.

It was no good, he could feel the shift happening. His eyes, his body, a familiar rush roared through him and his incisors descended to become fangs.

_She can't see me like this._

His head shot up, cocked at an angle, police sirens were getting closer.

_They're almost here. They'll get her. _

He gave her a last look, his heart cramped, his body on fire from the silver. She raised her left hand to her face to rub her eyes, and murmured a little. She was about to open her eyes and see him. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, out the door to his car.

* * *

><p>Mick barely made it back to his apartment. He fumbled to work the key fob door opener. When the door unlatched, he burst through it, sinking to his knees in front of the entry table. His body was convulsing and everything hurt as if it would never stop. Not bothering to shut the door, he dumped the two blood bags he'd been carrying in his coat onto the table. Grabbing a bag, he ripped the top off one and started greedily sucking down the blood bag.<p>

The silver had done a sufficient job of weakening him, to the point that he was unable to maintain a human appearance. He was in permanent vampire mode and would stay that way until the poison was out of his system. He was still gulping down the liquid, when he heard footsteps behind him at the door. Footsteps followed by her voice.

"Mick?" she called his name softly, worry in her tone. "You ran off again. One second you were there and then you were gone." Her voice faltered "Are... are you okay?" she asked.

A sharp stab of panic hit him. _Damn it, not now. She can't be here now_, was his only thought. _She can't see me like this_.

"Please leave," he told her without turning around to look at her.

"Not without answers," she replied. Her footsteps circled around to his left. She kept moving and he realized that she was almost facing him.

He spun around and sat down, gasping in a breath and jerking his head away so she couldn't see his face.

"I keep dreaming about you," she said quietly. "Why?"

He was hunched down in front of the table, holding up one hand to shield himself. But it wouldn't work, Beth was moving closer to him. "Please don't look at me," he tried again.

_No, please no. You have to leave._

Her footsteps stopped when she could see him clearly. He could hear her slight intake of breath. "Oh my God," she whispered.

He kept his head turned away for a moment, afraid. When he had gathered enough courage, he lifted his head and looked up at her.

She gasped as her hand flew to cover her mouth. "What are you?"

That word, _what. _

She didn't ask who he was, but what. He couldn't stand the look of fear in her eyes. But it was useless to lie at this point. His eyes, his fangs, the blood… he knew what he looked like.

"I'm a vampire," he managed to spit out, his voice shaking.

She stood and stared at him, shocked and silent. In all his years as a vampire, he'd never felt so ugly, so much a monster, as he did seeing the horror reflected on her face at his words. She turned on her heel and fled out the door.

* * *

><p>As I watched her run away from me, I sat on the floor and felt, just empty. I've been alone for so long now. I don't entirely know why this felt different.<p>

I still remember what it felt like to hold her in my arms when she was a little girl. The way she looked at me like I was her savior, a hero. Now she'll be scared of me. Maybe I'll never see her again.

God does that hurt.

When I'd done a sufficient job of recovering, I got up and crossed the room, shutting the apartment door. If she'd just been a little later, I would have been able to keep up the charade. She'd have had no idea.

With one word it was all destroyed… vampire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: The following is an adaptation of episode 3, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note:** This is a revision of the chapter I originally posted. I wanted to go back and fill out the details I didn't include in the first post. I'm putting up the revised chapter Feb 4, 2013.

As always, reviews are what keeps me going, so please post a review or send me an email with your thoughts. I love feedback. :) And either way, thanks so much for reading my adaptation of this story.

* * *

><p>Mick was seated at the desk in his office when he heard the elevator doors open, followed by the sound of light female footsteps.<p>

_Maybe it's a client_?

He was unsure if that's what he wanted though. He knew who he really wanted it to be. The footsteps didn't stop in front of his office. They stopped in front of the door to his apartment.

He went to the apartment entrance and checked the security video feed. Beth was standing in front of his door. A quick hit of adrenaline ignited a roaring in his ears. Against all odds, she'd come back to see him. He hadn't thought she would.

She raised her hand to knock. He could see her body shaking. Before her hand touched the door, she startled and turned away, leaving down the hall. Mick stood waiting, anxiously watching the screen. She'd made it this far, all the way to his apartment.

_Don't get frightened and turn away now, _he pleaded with her silently.

She reentered the frame of the video and raised her hand again. This time she knocked. He hesitated, staring at the screen. He should leave the door shut. That would make the most sense. Problem was, he didn't want to leave the door shut.

_How am I supposed to act?_ _What do I say? _He'd never told a human about his vampirism before, so the figuring out what to say afterward was a new position to be in.

He reached out and opened the door, trying to maintain an appearance that was more relaxed than he felt.

"Beth," He didn't know what to say but he was sure his face must have betrayed how happy he was to see her.

She met his eyes and started talking, her words coming out a touch too fast. "Okay, I'm here to talk to you about… umm… you." He could hear her heartbeat, flying along like a race car, and her scent contained more than a hint of fear.

He swallowed and took a quick breath. "Maybe you should come in," he told her.

It was a relief that she did in fact walk past him into the apartment when he stepped out of her way. She could easily have insisted on staying in the hallway if she'd been that scared of him.

She made her way to the couch in his living room area, taking a seat. He positioned himself in a chair across from her. His nerves were still getting the best of him. Looking at Beth and the way she was carrying herself, leaning forward with her hands balled together in a fist, she wasn't very comfortable either.

She got right to the point. "I really need you to tell me that I didn't see what I saw… what I think I saw," she corrected herself, "the other night. The blood, the fangs…" She paused, taking a breath. "I heard what you said."

"That I'm a vampire?" he asked. _Might as well get the word out of the way._

"How am I supposed…?" She started but didn't finish her thought. His eyes jerked away from her face over to the wall. _How are you supposed to process this? I have no idea._

"Are you the only one or are there other vampires?" she asked.

"A few hundred" he looked back at her, "here in L.A."

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a round "O" of shock. "How can people not know you exist?"

"We're extremely careful." He kept his voice calm and even. "Sometimes people see things but they dismiss it."

"How can they?" Her voice lilted up in disbelief.

He leaned forward toward her. "Or no one believes them."

He had to make her understand the gravity of his position and how important it was that she kept his secret. This wasn't some interesting story that a reporter could expose. He got up from his chair, walking over to stand closer to her. "People have been hunting us for thousands of years. So it's extremely important that no one knows we exist. Do you understand?"

She kept her eyes on his face and nodded.

_Guess I'm have no choice but to trust her on this._ Admittedly, trust was not one of his strong suits.

"So do you bite people's necks and suck the blood out?" She grimaced slightly and probably didn't realize how uncomfortable she sounded asking the question. He couldn't help it and laughed under his breath.

"Actually I get most of my blood from the blood bank," he told her.

"Oh," She sounded astonished by this news. "The Red Cross does not mention that in their literature."

"I don't think they know," he smiled.

"Do you…" She gave a nervous laugh. "Do you know how crazy this is?" She shook her head, apologetic. "I'm trying really hard to wrap my mind around what you just said and what I saw."

"Hey, I get it," he nodded. "It's a lot to... get."

Her face relaxed a little as she stared at him, curiosity seeming to overtake her anxiety. "So how does a person even become a vampire?" she asked. "How did you become a vampire?"

With a jolt, the memory of his turning sprang into his head unbidden, his wedding day. He had been over the moon, in love with Coraline and reeling that she had agreed to marry him in the first place. At their ceremony he'd thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He couldn't think clearly when she was near him, captivated by the desire to please her and give her everything she could ever want.

He'd carried her across the threshold into the hotel room where they were to spend their wedding night.

"I'll love you forever," he had told her, and he had meant it.

"Forever?" she had asked. One minute they'd been entangled on the bed, kissing, his head filled with her. The next minute there was a sharp, painful sting as she sunk her fangs into his neck, and the feeling of falling, disappearing, as she drained the blood from his body.

"Mick?" Beth's voice was calling his name.

He startled as he realized that he'd been staring off into space, lost in the memory. He looked back at Beth. She was watching him as if she was trying to understand where he'd gone.

_Wow, did not expect that._

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I can't… not..." he stumbled over his words. "I'm sorry, you've got to go."

He turned his back to her and started to beat a hasty path to his front door.

He could hear her stand up but she kept asking questions as she followed him. "Were you bitten by another vampire? Is that how it works?"

_She is definitely a reporter._

She caught up to him at the door. "One minute you're Mick the human and the next you're Mick the vampire?"

"Another time." He held the door open for her.

"What was it like?" she tried again. All traces of her apprehension were gone. She was full of inquisitive energy now as her wide eyes searched his face.

He swallowed and his eyes jumped away from her then back again. "Another time," he repeated.

She seemed to finally catch herself, sensing his discomfort. She drew back a little and nodded, giving him a half smile, before walking out through the door.

He closed the door behind her, took two steps, and stopped, a little stunned by the force of his reaction. That was the thing about never having needed to tell a human his story. It also meant he hadn't needed to think about it himself.

He stood in the entryway of his apartment, flooded with memories that he shoved away for decades.

* * *

><p>When that light starts flaring in Beth's eyes, the one that means she's no longer afraid, but has become… interested let's call it… I'm beginning to realize that's when I should start getting scared, scared for her. Because when she starts pursuing a story, it's like she's fearless. Going under cover to catch a murderer and almost ending up as a victim, running towards gun fire to shoot Lee Jay (and save me I might add), and now she'd managed to find another crime with a vampire angle.<p>

Does she go looking for this stuff? I mean really. I swear, if the police scanner had a list of victims that she _could_ go report on, she would pick the one with the vampire angle every time. I used to think she did this unconsciously. Now, thanks to me, she's aware of it.

I keep wondering, if I asked her nicely to stop investigating the vampire related stories, would she? I doubt it.

She wants to know what it's like to turn into a vampire. I couldn't tell her my experience, not yet. But it looks like she went ahead and found herself another prime example of all that can go wrong with being turned.

The first I heard of this was not from Beth, but from my friend Guillermo who was texting me, insisting he had a body I needed look at. I found myself paying a visit to the morgue where he works. (No jokes about me being a dead guy. Thanks.)

The body in question had not been just drained of blood but also chewed on, a vampire victim yes, but not an ordinary one. Unlike the last vampire murder story Beth worked on, this time a vampire was clearly doing the killing.

I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that vamps don't ever take human victims. I don't, at least not innocents. I don't even feed from humans for that matter. On the other hand, my stand of moral principle is unusual, shall we say.

Most vampires, if something goes wrong and the human doesn't survive… well let's just say you're never going to hear about it, that whole secrecy thing. We have resources called the Cleaners to take care of matters. If the police or other human groups do become aware of the deaths, someone needs to step in and put a stop to it, fast.

That's where I tend to come in.

Guillermo, (yes another vampire), asked me to examine the victim in the morgue. All I had to do was inhale the victim's scent to figure out that he'd been attacked by a newly turned vampire. Any vampire leaves a distinct scent on his victim, but this vampire had almost no decay.

In our world, the vampire that sires you is supposed to be responsible for you, keep you safe and guide you through the transition. Being turned is no picnic. You wake up and you're consumed with rage, bloodlust. It is overwhelming and terrifying. The mere idea that any of us return to our sanity is a miracle if you think about it.

A rogue vampire is one who, for whatever reason, hasn't been socialized correctly. Something has gone wrong and the sire has not ensured the new vampire is under control of his faculties and able to live safely with humans.

I was standing in a room in the morgue with Guillermo when, much to my displeasure, Beth showed up. Most humans, you'd think finding out about the existence of vampires would scare them to death. They'd run in the other direction. Not Beth though. Don't get me wrong. I like seeing Beth, just not in this place and for these reasons.

She'd already been to the crime scene and had covered it for Buzzwire. The suspicious condition of the victim led her to the morgue for a closer look.

I tried to convince Beth to drop this story. I told her that it was too dangerous. She pointed out that being a crime reporter is not without risks, and she has no intentions of quitting, vampires or not.

Fine, if she wasn't going to give up on this case, I'd just have to stay close and make sure she wasn't getting into trouble. I couldn't let her go off after a rogue vampire… right? Of course not. It made perfect sense. I could investigate the murder and be certain she wouldn't get herself nearly killed again. The fact that I like her had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Okay, the fact that I like her had almost nothing to do with it. I can't escape that being near her does make me feel better than I have in years.

I explained to her how turning works. You reach a point where you're near death, and then a vampire, a sire we call it, feeds you their blood. You wake up changed. There's no going back.

As if those few words could sum up what the experience felt like. Even if I had hours to talk to Beth about it, I don't think I could ever convey the panic, the fear, and the horror of living it.

* * *

><p>(Los Angeles, 1952)<p>

Mick's brain was fighting, struggling toward consciousness, but an overwhelming tide of sensation was clouding his thoughts. _What happened? Where am I?_

Hotel, yes, he was in a hotel with Coraline. He was lying on a bed in their honeymoon suite. His eyes drifted open. _Jesus, I feel so weird. What is this?_

He tried to focus on the last thing he remembered. Coraline, carrying her into this room, collapsing on the bed and kissing her, her body pressed against his and then… and then what?

Pain, sharp pain, and a sucking against his neck.

_She bit me?!_

He pulled himself up, carefully, propping up on one elbow. He wasn't thinking clearly, couldn't understand why the room was suddenly so noisy, making his head throb. Why did the air running over his skin sting like needles? His stomach cramped with a hunger unlike anything he'd ever felt.

_Make it stop!_

And then there was everything he could smell, sickening, rich, everywhere… sweat, mildew, blood. _Blood? _And perfume, Coraline's perfume. There was a rustle of fabric behind him and he flipped over, pivoting his body so he could see her, panic vibrating through every part of his being.

She was standing on the edge of the bed, looking down at him with compassion in her eyes. "Don't be afraid," she said in a soft voice. "It's ok."

At her words, the panic bloomed into full blown terror. "What have you done?" His eyes flicked to the pillow next to him. It was stained a dark scarlet, soaked with blood. "What have you done to me?"

"Don't be scared," she shook her head. "It's my wedding gift."

_Is that my blood? _Mick raised his right hand, and gingerly touched his fingers to his neck. Puncture wounds, two of them. _She did bite me! Oh my God._

"I freed you," she told him. "I freed you from death."

_Freed from death… how? "_Tell me what you did to me," he demanded.

She sunk down onto the bed, tucking her legs underneath her and sitting on her knees. She leaned over to get closer to him. Her eyes locked on his. "I joined us forever."

He jumped up, off of the bed, needing to get away from her. The flood of sensory input was threatening to drown him. _Too much, make it stop._ As he moved, he passed through the sunlight filtering in the gauzy curtains covering the room's lone window. "Arggg" he let out a grunt as searing pain flared where the yellow light touched his skin. He flattened himself against the wall, his chest convulsing as he hyperventilated. He stared at Coraline. She was watching him from the bed.

_No, no, no!_ _This isn't real. It can't be real._

He pushed off of the wall, unable to stay still, and fled across the bedroom, into the bathroom.

He stood shaking in front of the mirror. His shirt was stained with huge patches of blood, near his neck and across his chest. He pulled back his shirt collar, and lifted his head to get a better look. The two puncture wounds stood out, dark black holes.

He dropped his hands away from his neck, staring at his reflection, paralyzed. _Puncture wounds… _All of the sensations, touch, smell, scent, hearing faded away and for a brief point in time he was only aware of the tingling and burning of his own gums.

He raised his right hand to his mouth, used his thumb to pull back his upper lip just enough to get a good look at his incisors.

Fangs. They were no longer teeth. Fangs had descended from his gums. _This isn't possible._

He jerked his hand away and slammed it flat against the mirror, blocking out his image. He spun around to find Coraline close behind him. Her mouth was inches from his.

"I know you don't understand." Her voice was warm and soothing, filled with sympathy and affection. "I've given you a gift. The greatest gift I can give." She stroked his chest with one hand as she spoke.

"But I don't want this," he protested.

"I love you" she told him, as if that were the cure for his anguish. "I love you." As she whispered the words again, she leaned up to give him a kiss.

Mick threw himself backward, out of her reach. Coraline's face changed, dismay replacing the warmth of her eyes and mouth.

"You made me into a monster," he accused her.

As he stood on the far side of the tiny space, panting and watching her, he could feel blood, the last of his blood, running down his hand and dripping into a puddle on the floor.

* * *

><p>The thing is about vampirism, there are many advantages to having heightened senses, particularly sense of smell. And nothing has a more vivid scent to me than blood.<p>

After Beth and I parted ways at the morgue, I went to check out the murder scene, a supermarket. The victim had been a clerk. It wasn't hard to track a trail of vampire blood back to a spot where I think the rogue was turned, the corner of 1st and Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. The location contained traces of blood from one human, and two vampires, one newly turned. There was also a small notepad lying in the gutter, stained red.

I felt bad for the guy. Hey, I do remember what it was like to wake up and realize you're a monster. In my case, Coraline knew exactly what she was doing when she killed me and brought me back. The idea that I might not want to be this creature that fed on blood was beside the point to her. She thought turning me into a vampire was a gift, so she assumed that I would be grateful to her for it.

I know what motivated Coraline, but when it comes to this rogue, I'm still trying to figure out what would possess a vampire to stop in the middle of a busy street, drain a human, turn them, and walk away. Tucked inside the notepad I found a business card belonging to one Gerald Stovsky.

It looks like it was time for me to pay Mr. Stovsky a visit.

* * *

><p>Thanks to the business card he'd found at the scene, Mick was on the campus of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Mr. Stovsky, as it so happened, was both a vampire and a rocket scientist. Quite the combination.<p>

He reached the correct office. Even though the hour was late, the door was open and the lights were on. It stood to reason given whom the office belonged to, that they would prefer to work at night and avoid sunlight. Most vamps did if at all possible.

He entered the office, stopping near a large metal desk, its surface obscured by papers and piles of books. Seated at the desk was a small middle aged appearing gentleman, a vampire from the scent of him, wearing glasses, a tweed professor's jacket, and a bowtie. His shoulders were stooped over as he made rapid scribbles with a pencil on paper. It looked like Mick had found the rogue's sire, if not the rogue himself.

"Hi," Mick said.

Stovsky's head snapped up. For a vampire, he seemed to be fairly oblivious to his surroundings and had not noticed Mick approaching.

"Hi," Stovsky replied. His face gave the impression of trepidation as he regarded Mick.

Mick held out the blood stained notepad. "Yours?"

Stovsky's face lit up in relief. "My notes!" His hand seized the notepad, taking it from Mick, opening and flipping through it. "Oh, thank you, I thought I'd lost them!"

"Corner of 1st and Main last night, right?"

"Maybe." He looked up at Mick. "I go by there every night."

"There you go." He gave Stovsky a short smile. _This guy really doesn't get it does he? "_Were you alone?" Mick asked.

"Yes," Stovsky nodded, a doleful expression crossing his features. "You know, I think I've finally gotten used to my solitary existence. Other vampires seem to avoid me, and human colleagues are, well…" he gave a futile gesture with one hand, "you know how that is."

"Right." Mick thought he managed, although with some difficulty, to keep his voice neutral and not convey his irritation. "Where were you coming from?"

"The Empress Pavilion," Stovsky gave a sigh. "I love their barbecue pork buns."

Mick's brows furrowed. "But we don't eat."

"I know," Stovsky shook his head, "but I sure used to love those buns.

It took Mick another effort of restraint not to roll his eyes. "Anyway, last night, after your pork buns, what did you eat? And by 'what' I mean 'who'." Mick gave him a stare.

Stovsky's eyes left Mick's face. "What?"

"I found your pad in a pool of blood." Mick took a few steps around the desk, moving so that he was directly in front of Stovsky. "Since you're a vampire I figured it's probably not a coincidence."

"That wasn't my fault." Stovsky held up both hands, palms facing Mick, in a defensive posture. "As I said, I was just walking along when suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, this car mows me over."

Mick nodded. "So you attacked the driver?"

"Oh, no, no, no, I was in no condition." He shook his head. "Fortunately a Good Samaritan came by."

"So you fed on him?"

"Drained him, I'm afraid." He had the good grace to appear at least slightly remorseful. "It was just an accident." His voice rose. "I don't ordinarily feed on humans. I was just desperate and I..." He turned back to his notes. "Look, I called the Cleaner as soon as I got home! She should've disposed of the body, so..."

"Did you check if the guy was dead before you left him there?" Mick cut him off, unable to keep the anger out of his voice now.

"Yes, of course I checked, I mean, he wasn't moving. Why wouldn't he be dead, right?"

"You screwed up," Mick growled. "Some of your blood got into his system. You didn't kill him, you turned him. Then you left him there by himself, not knowing what he was and not knowing what to do. Now he's out there killing people."

"Oh, my." Stovsky's eyes roved away from Mick, genuinely upset. He removed his glasses with his left hand as he covered his mouth with his right.

Mick leaned forward, gripping the back of a desk chair in front of him with both hands. "What do you remember about him?"

"Nothing much, it all happened so fast. It was dark." Stovsky face was tight, concentrating. "Ah, yes…" He lifted his right hand, twirling his fingers, trying to grasp a thought. "He said something about being a, umm...a doctor!" His eyes met Mick's. "No… Yes, a doctor." He stabbed the air with his forefinger, emphatic. "A doctor," he repeated.

"Are you sure?" Mick asked.

"Yes." Stovsky told him with a swift nod of his head.

Mick held Stovsky's eyes for a beat longer, before turning on his heel and leaving the office.

* * *

><p>Vampires are just like humans in many ways. After all, we did start out as humans, and just like them some of us can't see anything past ourselves. Stovsky was so clueless and self-absorbed, he didn't realize he'd turned this poor bastard. At least he had the decency to look like he felt guilty for what he'd done.<p>

I'd have to deal with Stovsky later. There are factors within our vampire society, the Cleaner for example, that wouldn't take his accidental turning lightly. Not that anyone would care all that much if the rogue had been caught early, but now that his crimes were plastered all over the news… it's a more serious matter.

So about that plastered all over the news thing… Beth wasn't helping in that regard. I left Stovsky's office with catching up to Beth next on my agenda. Before I called her I checked Buzzwire's website. The good news was I wouldn't need to call her to find her. The bad news… she was at the scene of another murder. Whether it was our guy again remained to be determined.

* * *

><p>Mick reached the latest crime scene and parked his car across the street, far enough to not get in the cops' way but close enough that he could see Beth. Currently she was talking to Lieutenant Carl Davis of the Los Angeles police department.<p>

Davis was an old contact of Beth's. Mick had seen them together a couple of times, including the night she'd seen Mick for the first time. Under any other circumstances it was pretty entertaining to watch. Beth could be awfully persistent when following a story and Davis didn't seem to much appreciate this quality in her. On the up side, she got pretty good inside information this way.

While he waited for her to finish hassling Lieutenant Davis, he pulled up her latest report from Buzzwire's website. He wasn't far into the report when his stomach seized and flipped over.

_Beth, please don't do this to me. Not you of all people._

Mick was standing outside his car, leaning against it. He looked up at Beth just as she finished her conversation with Carl. Her eyes swept over and landed right away on Mick. As she started walking towards him, he put the phone back into the pocket of his leather jacket and dug one hand into his jeans.

"I watched your report," he told her when she was close enough to hear him. "You don't know 'what' did this?" He emphasized the word what.

"I didn't say 'vampire'." She replied, blinking back at him unperturbed.

"Came awfully close."

"In fact, by not saying it, I'm lying to people," she reminded him.

"Keep it up." Mick nodded, his eyes shifting away from her and back.

"Why do you think you can't trust me?" Her tone was even and her face warm. It was an honest question.

_You're kidding right?_ He stared at her without speaking. It took a few seconds for him to remember that she didn't know his history and the reason for his issues.

It was not the time or place to answer her question. He changed the subject instead. "I found the rogue vampire's blood on the corner of 1st and Main. I need you to use your police contacts to see if anybody has filed any kind of reports in the last couple of days."

"You're a private investigator, you don't have any contacts in the department?" She looked at him in disbelief.

"It takes time to develop a contact, years. People age, I don't. Cops especially tend to pick up on those kinds of details." He paused. "It kind of makes long-term relationships with humans difficult."

"1st and Main?" She kept her eyes on his as she confirmed the address. "I'll see what I can find out."

A small flicker of gratitude crossed his face and he watched her as she left him, walking back to the news van.

Across the way, he could still see Lieutenant Davis and the team from the crime lab doing their best to record the scene. A van from the coroner's office sat not too far from the victim. They were all trying to figure out how and why a man was attacked by what looked to be a wild animal in downtown Los Angeles. Mick couldn't tell them the how or the why, even though he knew the reasons all too well.

He could still remember what it felt like to be a new vampire. Days like today, he wished he could forget that feeling. He couldn't completely hate the rogue for what he was doing. Truth was, he understood it.

* * *

><p>(LOS ANGELES, 1952)<p>

As soon as evening descended, Mick fled their hotel room, out into a night air that felt like nothing he'd ever experienced. He'd been groping along, not sure of his destination, as long as it took him away from her.

He had adjusted a little to the heightened sense of smell, eyesight, and touch. They were still strange, but not nearly as difficult as this morning. Unfortunately the same could not be said for his hunger. The need to eat was crippling his body with a deep wracking pain and he was losing the ability to concentrate on anything else.

_Blood, you want blood, you want blood, you want blood_.

It was an endless refrain, not just in his head, but every fiber of his body. Along with an anger bordering much closer to rage, he needed to get away. He was dangerous to anything that crossed his path right now and his self-control was hanging by the thinnest of strands. It was about to snap and he knew it.

He had stumbled into an alleyway, and was curled in a corner. It wasn't clear to him how long he'd been there, when Coraline found him.

Her footsteps echoed on the pavement as she approached. "There you are." She crouched down in front of him.

"Get away from me!" Mick snarled, trying to back away.

"I know you're hurting," Coraline spoke smoothly. "I brought you something that will make you feel better."

Mick's brain suddenly registered the source of a new smell and his stomach roared.

_Blood! You Want Blood!_

Coraline's right hand was gripping the upper arm of a young woman, bound and gagged. The woman, not much more than a girl really, was whimpering and crying, shaking her head violently from side to side.

Mick could hear the girl's heartbeat. He could smell her and could almost see where her veins and arteries crisscrossed under translucent white skin.

"No, take her away!" He pulled away from Coraline and the girl.

Coraline reached out her left hand and stroked his hair, brushing it off of his forehead. "You don't really want me to do that," she told him.

"Yes, I do!" He met her eyes. "Make it stop," he begged her. "Make it stop, please."

"I can't,"Coraline shook her head. "It's done. And it's going to be so wonderful." She smiled at him.

The girl's smell was overpowering. He wanted to taste her, wanted to sink his fangs into her flesh more than anything he'd ever desired in his entire life.

"You've got to kill me!" he moaned. His eyes searched Coraline's face for a hint of pity and compassion. "I want to die!"

"No you don't." Coraline cooed softly. "You want to live."

Coraline turned her attention back to the weeping girl. Grasping her by the shoulders, Coraline gave one swift tug and forced the girl down so that her head was almost in Mick's lap and her neck lay exposed before him.

_Blood!_

Mick's body was quaking with the effort to keep under control. Coraline ran a gloved hand over the girl's back, keeping her eyes on Mick's face the whole time. He reached out his hands carefully and touched the girl.

_I don't want to do this._

But part of him did want to… it really, really, did.

He opened his mouth to expose his fangs and leaned forward, getting closer to the girl's neck. His eyes flicked up to Coraline for validation. His hunger… there was nothing else in the world but his hunger and the smell of blood, just under her skin.

Desire swooped up through him in a rush, and his arms shot out, crushing the girl close against his body. He sank his fangs into her neck.

The taste was unreal, like nothing he'd ever experienced before, not alcohol, not food, not any drug. This was fuller, deeper. It satisfied the beast within him and made the pain ease.

His eyes flicked up to Coraline. A broad smile had curled up the corners of her mouth and her eyes sparkled. He couldn't stand the thought of her looking at him. With a grunt and a sharp jerk, he turned his back on her penetrating gaze.

When his hunger had been sated somewhat, he released the girl. Her heartbeat was faint but not gone, her eyes closed. He sat up straight and stared at Coraline, energy pulsing through his body.

_What am I?_

All he knew was he wanted more…

* * *

><p>Mick was seated behind the wheel of his Mercedes convertible, driving. Beth was sitting in the passenger seat next to him, checking the display on her cell phone.<p>

"I should be getting those police reports you wanted, but there's no cell coverage here. I'll try later." She put her phone down and picked up a silver aluminum foil bag from her lap. She pulled a piece of something out of the bag and put it in her mouth. "Chip?" she asked, holding the open bag over to him. "I got the ones without garlic."

His eyes went down to the bag then up to her face. She was looking at him without any sarcasm in her tone, as if she really believed the myth about vampires and garlic.

"I can eat garlic," he corrected her. He looked back at the road. "I mean… I could, if I ate… food." He paused. "But I don't eat food," he finished, feeling awkward.

"Just blood?" Her question was serious.

His eyes flicked sideways to her. "Didn't we just cover that?" She nodded, smiling a little before turning her attention back to her snack.

The car was quiet for a grand total of ten seconds before Beth's head swiveled to look at him. "Can you fly?"

"Mm-hmm," he nodded. "Just like Superman."

"Really?" Her voice jumped up an octave, entertained by the prospect.

"No." He laughed, a grin rising to his mouth. Beth made a face and looked abashed. "That'd be pretty cool though, wouldn't' it?" he said.

"Yeah," she agreed, and was quiet for a moment. "So, you know what you said earlier? Vampires really don't age?"

"Really don't," he shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road.

"So how old are you?" she asked.

"It's not polite to ask people their age."

"That's just women," she smiled. "I know you must be older, but you look about 30."

"That's how old I was when I was turned." He answered without looking over at her.

"Wow," she exclaimed, "so when I was 2…"

"I looked 30." He finished her thought, looking over at her. "When you're 82… I'm still going to look 30."

She was watching him now. "So how old are you really?"

Mick didn't answer right away, avoiding her eye contact. He exhaled a breath. "I'm going to be 85 this November," he finally admitted. He was sure his expression made clear how uncomfortable this news made him feel, and yet he was smiling despite himself.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see her eyes fly wide before she giggled. "Immortality looks pretty good to me," she told him once she'd composed herself.

"Not from where I'm sitting." His tone was still light, but a serious undercurrent ran through it.

Beth's phone made a beeping noise. "Hmm, here we go." She lifted up her phone to read the display. "No police reports of a hit-and-run on 1st and Main. No 911 hits either. Parking enforcement said they towed an abandoned car from that intersection that is registered to a Dr. Jeffrey Pollock. 2810 Hillside."

Mick made a mental note of the address and steered the car toward it.

* * *

><p>Dr. Pollock's house was dark and quiet as Mick pulled into the driveway. Taking his gun from the glove compartment of the car, he made his way to the front door. He tried the knob and the door swung open, unlocked. He'd only made it a few steps inside, gun drawn in front of him, when he could hear and smell Beth, following him into the house.<p>

"And 'wait in the car' means...?" He threw his comment over his shoulder without looking in Beth's direction, still scanning the house for indications of motion. There were certain truths about Beth that were simultaneously annoying and inescapable. One of these truths, he was realizing, was that she would usually resort to her own judgment above all else, regardless of what he wanted.

"Yeah, 'cause that worked out so well last time!" she hurled back at him. The both paused but Beth spoke before he could. "What's that smell?"

"Blood," Mick whispered back to her. Unfortunately he had long since identified the smell Beth was just now picking up. "Stay close."

Mick followed the smell, out of the foyer and into a room on the right side of the house. Moving through the doorway into the darkened space, he reached out with his left hand, running it over the wall where a light switch should be. He found the switch and flicked it on, illuminating a formal living room. The origin of the smell became immediately clear. A woman's body was lying in the center of the floor, a large pool of blood saturating the carpet under her.

"Is she dead?" Beth asked him in a forced voice. She was standing a little ways behind him and to the side and took a few steps past him toward the body. "Maybe she's not dead."

"She's dead," he answered her. "There's no heartbeat."

"You can tell that from here?" She gave a quick look back to him. "Is she going to turn into a vampire, too?"

"No, he didn't turn her. He just murdered her."

_I am losing any shred of sympathy for this guy._

"We need to figure out where he's gone." He directed this comment to Beth before turning back to comb the rest of the house for clues.

Mick crossed through the foyer, running his eyes around the space. There was a second doorway leading to a room on the left side of the house. He walked into the room and found himself in Pollock's home office.

"With every kill, Pollock becomes more dangerous," he said to Beth. "His bloodlust will only get worse."

Beth followed him into the room, walking directly over to the desk. On its corner sat a picture frame which she picked up, studying it.

Mick could hear Beth's small intake of breath and an acceleration of her heart beat. She turned to him, holding out the photograph. "It was his wife. He killed his own wife."

Mick glanced down at the picture. He wished he could say he was surprised, but he wasn't. He moved away to examine the rest of the room.

Beth was still holding the frame. "They look so happy." She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "You must've had a normal life before you became a vampire… a job, friends, family." He could almost feel her watching him, even though his back was turned to her.

"I did," he responded in a quiet voice. "But once I was turned I became a danger to them all. I had to give them up."

She waited a minute. "Were you married?"

He gave her a look over his shoulder and nodded. "Once."

"What happened?" She stared at him.

"She died." He answered her as he walked over behind the desk, looking down at the papers piled on its surface.

"Did you try and turn her into a…" Beth began to ask.

"She's dead." He met Beth's eyes, cutting her off. "Period."

"Okay," she looked apologetic. "Sorry."

He turned his attention back to the desk. "You're not, trust me."

He was flipping through a stack of file folders until he found what he wanted. "He works at Sacred Angels Hospital. We have to get there now."

"You think he'd feed on his patients?" Beth voice echoed with disgust.

Mick tilted his head to one side and shrugged. "New vampires crave blood." He looked up at her. "Where better to find it than a hospital?"

The sound of the front door opening and slamming closed interrupted their conversation and both of their heads turned to the foyer.

"He's back," Beth's voice was a rushed whisper.

Mick was already pulling his gun out from the back of his jeans and starting around the desk toward the office entrance. "Stay here," he ordered Beth, giving her a severe look and pointing to her with his forefinger for emphasis. "Stay."

For once she didn't argue, only nodded her assent. "Okay."

Mick crossed back through the foyer and into the living room, holding his gun at the ready in front of him. What he found there, standing in the center of the room staring down at the lifeless body on the carpet, was not the rogue vampire Jeffrey Pollock, but Pollock's sire, Gerald Stovsky.

Stovsky looked from the body back to Mick. "You didn't..." He was staring again at the body before he'd even finished his thought.

"It was her husband," Mick informed him, "the vampire you turned. Are you tracking him?" As Mick spoke he continued to hold the gun in front of him, pointed at Stovsky.

Stovsky turned to face Mick. "After you left, I realized I had to make things right. I had to take the poor vampire under my tutelage, help him through the transition."

Mick dropped the gun to his side. "You're too late, Gerald. He's out of control."

"No," Stovsky shook his head, a dismissive smile fixed on his features, as if Pollock were merely a naughty child that could be scolded into submission. "He's… he's just confused."

"He's not confused. He's feral," Mick snapped at Stovsky. "He's killed three people already. He has to be put down."

With these last words Mick took his attention off of Stovsky, looking back to the foyer and considering his next action. By the time his brain had identified the sound behind him, Stovsky in motion and pulling something out of his jacket, it was too late. Mick whirled around but Stovsky had closed the distance between them, only a few steps, and before Mick could react, he plunged a large wooden stake into Mick's chest.

Mick gave a short cry before dropping to the floor like a stone, his left hand curled around the stake, but was unable to dislodge it.

_Oh my God! Jesus this hurts._

Through a fog of pain he could hear Stovsky, speaking from above him. "I'm sorry; I wasn't completely honest with you. I did remember the doctor's license plate. I am good with numbers after all." Stovsky knelt down, leaning over Mick. His tone was contrite. "Please understand, I was never able to sire before. This mistake has given me something I've never had: a son, a companion." His tone chilled and his voice grew harder. "I won't let you take him from me." Stovsky reached out both hands, grasping the stake. He pushed down on the piece of wood, driving it further into Mick's body, sending out shock waves of physical anguish.

_Fuckkkkkk! It HU_RTs!

He must have passed out because the next thing he was aware of Stovsky was gone, but Beth was kneeling over him, calling his name. "Mick!" He could feel her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "Mick!" His eyes shot open.

"Take it out." The best he could manage was a barely audible rasp.

"Oh, my God, you're alive." Beth stammered. "Wait…" She moved her head closer to him, breathing heavily. "What did you say?"

"The stake, take it out," he tried again.

"Uh…" Beth squirmed. She gave the stake an uneasy look, brushing her hair back out of her face with a nervous hand. "Okay," she agreed in a wary voice.

Her face screwed up in a grimace, but she painstakingly pried his fingers off of the piece of wood, before wrapping her own hands around it. She made a motion as if to pull it out, but froze. "Maybe it's like a piece of glass, you're supposed to wait…"

"Take it out!" Mick tried to sound as forceful as was possible given his limited range of motion at the moment.

"Okay!" She said again. She shut her eyes and made another face, adjusting her hands, before giving the stake a yank. It slid out with a wet noise, and he let out a shriek, louder this time.

He took a few panting breaths and rolled over onto his side, waiting for the pain to subside. A short while later, when the sting in his chest had resolved enough that he could think straight, he got up to his knees. He threw his head back and kept his eyes closed, taking a few deep breaths.

"Ouch."

The sharpness of the initial pain was almost gone, although it was most definitely not forgotten. A lingering ache was left in its place. He opened his eyes and looked down at the hole in his shirt, feeling around with his finger till he found the stake wound in his chest. It had almost closed up.

He looked over at Beth. She was crouched next to him on the floor. She regarded him with eyes that were saucers of shock and her face had become a mask of horror. She still held out the offending chunk of wood in her right hand.

"Thanks, I'll take that," he said, taking the stake from her.

"I thought stakes were supposed to kill vampires." Her voice was shaking.

"No," Mick shook his head. "They only paralyze us." He sounded like his vocal cords had been shredded by a lawn mower.

Beth eyes shifted from his face, down to his chest, to the hole in his shirt. She reached out to him with a tentative hand, her fingers hovering near his wound.

Her gaze moved up to his face. "Are you going be okay?" Genuine worry and fear for him had landed on her features.

"I heal fast."

"Did Pollock do this to you?" she wanted to know.

"No, it was his sire." He moved to get to his feet. "We have to get to the hospital."

* * *

><p>I do remember that I said I wanted to stay close to Beth for <em>her<em> safety. So far though, I think I've needed her more than she's needed me. It is nice not to be investigating alone for a change, especially when stakes are involved. For Beth's part, she holding it together remarkably well for a woman's who is getting a crash course in details about vampires and the circumstances surrounding them.

We took my car and sped to Sacred Angels Hospital. When we got inside we weren't bothering to walk and act casual. Too many people have died already. As we ran through the halls I stopped the first doctor I found and asked where I could find Pollock. My fears were confirmed, Pollock was upstairs in the hospital, seeing patients.

I'm sure he was doing something to them. That's what I was afraid of.

We got up to the correct floor, running toward Pollock and collided with someone hurrying in the other direction, someone trying to get away from the hospital…

It was none other than my good friend Gerald Stovsky.

Stovsky was frightened and panting. He met my eyes. "I can't stop him, he's insane!"

"You created a killer vampire and just left him?" Beth yelled at Stovsky. "What's wrong with you?"

We didn't wait, leaving Stovsky and continuing to run down the hall toward Pollock. Not that Stovsky will get very far. I did have enough time on the car ride over to the hospital to make a call to the Cleaner. I was right. She was very interested to hear about Stovsky's actions over the last few days. If anyone does ever see him again, it won't be for a very long time… and that's a very big if. As in _if_ she lets Stovsky live, which I doubt.

Beth stayed in the hall, wisely deciding not to follow me if I was about to confront Pollock. I caught up to him in a patient's room, just as he was about to use the woman in question for a blood bag.

Pollock looked over his shoulder at me. At first confused, then a strange look of pleasure reached his face. "I can smell you. You're like me."

"I'm nothing like you," I told him.

"Yeah, you are. We're vampires, aren't we?" He smiled, baring full fangs. "The strength, the speed, the blood, I figured it out."

"You need to come with me right now." I tried ordering him.

"I'm not going anywhere," Pollock stared back at me without a glimmer of hesitation or humanity. He stood up, pulling in a deep breath and looking back to the woman on the bed. "Can't you smell how delicious it is?"

"You don't have to kill to survive."

"I like killing," he answered matter of factly. "Come on, I'll share! There's enough blood here for both of us! And they restock every day."

This guy was taking a real toll on my temper. You know what? I was a new vampire once. I do remember what it felt like, and I was nothing like this monster. Even at my worst, I've never enjoyed killing an innocent.

"You can't feed here!" I snarled at him. "We have rules!"

"There are no rules!" he shot back, amused. "I'm top of the food chain."

"These are people. They're human beings. You used to be a human, remember?"

Pollock's eyes left mine, jerking away into space, his face going slack. He gave a look to the woman on the bed, staring, considering. I hoped for a moment that I'd reached him.

At last he raised his head and met my gaze. The spooky smile crept back to his face. "Not anymore."

I didn't have time to think. Pollock rushed at me like a linebacker, tackling me to the ground and then jumping up to sprint away down the hall.

I sprang back to my feet and went after him, catching up to him on an exterior stairwell. I let my body shift into a full vampire, and I could feel my eyes changing color. I had my hand on Pollock's shoulder when he threw his elbow back, smashing it into my face and I went flying into a wall. He came at me and I blocked a few more blows, had my hands around his neck. He twisted and threw a punch that connected with my jaw, but as I went down I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out Stovsky's stake.

I shot up and kicked Pollock in the chest, sending him hurtling down a flight of stairs, landing at the bottom. Before he knew what was happening I had jumped down on top of him and was holding the stake to his heart.

Fear reflected for the first time in his ice blue eyes. "No! I understand now! I'll stop killing! I'll go back to my old life," he protested.

"You can't." I told him. "You destroyed it."

I drove the stake home with a thrust of my hand and Pollock stopped moving for good.

* * *

><p>Beth found Mick not long after he'd put Pollock on a gurney and covered him with a sheet. He was wheeling Pollock down the hallway.<p>

"Mick!" She came running up behind him. "Some woman came and took Gerald away!" Her eyes found the gurney, hitting on it and then his face. "Pollock, you found him?"

"And staked him."

"Should we call the police?" she asked.

"Suggestions like that are why you shouldn't be here." He didn't meet her eyes.

"But I thought you said a stake doesn't kill a vampire, it only paralyzes him. What should we do?"

He stopped walking. "Not 'we', me."

"You can't just kill him." Under most other conditions her statement would be completely rational and reasonable. But in my world, sometimes it can't be helped.

"He's already dead."

"After all this?"

His head jumped up to look back at her. "No, Beth." His tone was harsh, but reality was harsh right now. "Okay? No."

He turned away and left her standing alone, continuing down the hall, taking Pollock to the incinerator.

* * *

><p>"The incinerator, Damn. Remind me to never piss you off."<p>

Mick was sitting on the couch in his apartment, staring morosely into the fireplace, his elbow resting on the back of the couch and his head propped on his hand. Josef was standing at the console table behind him, mixing cocktails, a combination of alcohol and blood.

"I didn't have a choice." Mick responded to Josef without looking at him.

"Well, like _I'm_ judging you. I would've done the same thing, except I would've enjoyed it more." Josef came around the end of the couch carrying two glasses, one of which he gave to Mick. His lips curved up in a half smile. After Mick had accepted the drink, Josef turned, walking over to the chair at the end of the coffee table, and gracefully sank down into it.

"Hmm… you know, after all these years I still don't understand you." Josef was staring at him, his head cocked at an angle. The smile was still there, but his eyes narrowed in a question. "The bad guy was caught, justice was served." Josef waved at Mick with his free hand. "And you're sitting there like someone died." He took a sip of his drink.

"Actually, four people died," Mick reminded him.

"Collateral damage for a greater good," Josef replied. "And Pollock was a danger to all of us, humans and vampires."

"I could've been like Pollock. If Coraline had let me go after she turned me, if she hadn't thought me how to survive as a vampire."

Josef exhaled a sound of mild amusement. "Don't tell me you're saying something good about the ex?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No," Mick's voice rang with the absurdity of the thought.

"But you're still thinking about her," Josef said, watching him.

Mick eyes trailed off into the distance above Josef's head. He didn't argue.

"I'll tell you something I've learned in my four hundred years." Mick met Josef's gaze. Two Buddhists Monks are walking down a road." He held up two fingers on one hand. "And they see a woman trying to cross a stream. The first Monk picks her up, carries her across, she says 'Thanks' and they go their separate ways," Josef paused. "But the second Monk is spitting mad. After a couple more miles the second Monk speaks up, tells the first Monk, 'You violated the rules of our order when you carried that woman across the stream.' And the first Monk replied, 'I may have carried her across that stream, but you've been carrying her ever since.'"

Mick stared back at Josef. "I have," he agreed with a nod.

Josef leaned forward, his elbows sitting on his knees. "You need to stop carrying Coraline around, Mick. You can't change the past." Mick closed his eyes and rubbed them with his right hand.

"And you can't let it stop you from going forward," Josef finished.

Mick opened his eyes. "I know," he told his friend. "I know."

* * *

><p>I've been carrying Coraline around with me for so long now, I'm not sure I know how to stop. Just when you think you have a handle on something, that's when you get tested right? You either get blindsided, or you find out how far you've come.<p>

Maybe Beth is my test. As hard as it might be, I'm going to try to take Josef's advice and let go.

* * *

><p>Mick approached the door to Beth's apartment and knocked. He held his breath, waiting for her to answer.<p>

When the door opened at last, Beth was behind it. She looked surprised to see him.

"Hey." He greeted her in a quiet voice.

"Mick." She smiled and stared at him silently for a long beat. "Do you want to come in?" She hurried to ask, gesturing behind her into the apartment.

"No." He answered too quickly. "I mean," he hesitated, searching for what he wanted to say.

"You want to know how I became a vampire?" he asked.

She leaned sideways against the doorjamb, her eyes glued to his face. "Yes."

"Okay," His eyes darted away from her and back. "I told you I was married, right?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded.

"Well, she was a vampire," he told her. "I didn't know." He could hear Beth suck in a breath and her eyes widened.

"And on our wedding night," he continued, "she turned me." He gave a small, sad laugh. "I went to bed a happily married man and I woke up a monster."

Her face softened with what he thought was compassion. Without hesitation she shook her head. "You're not a monster."

He exhaled a breath. "Believe me, I was."

She looked away, thinking, then back up at him. "You must find it hard to trust anyone now."

His eyes left her face as he tried to think of how to respond.

"You asked me if I trusted you." He met her gaze. "You're the first human that I've told any of this to," he paused. "About who I am, or what I am. So yeah, I trust you."

Her hand was resting on the door jamb and he placed his own over hers, holding it there. She turned her head toward their hands, mesmerized, and then looked back up into his eyes. So much of what he'd been searching for in Coraline, all those years ago, was reflected back to him on Beth's face. He stared back at her for a moment, before letting go, turning to walk away down the hall.

And for a heart that didn't really beat, he could swear that his was pounding the whole way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** The following is an adaptation of episode 4, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note**: This is a revision of the chapter I originally posted. Longer with more details. I'm putting up the revised chapter Feb 9, 2013.

Please, please leave a review! Thanks for reading.

* * *

><p>So there are many very good reasons why a vampire should not get attached to a human. Josef takes pretty much every opportunity he can find to emphasize this point. Being that Josef is at least three times my age, you would think that I'd have done a better job listening to him. But my inability to take good advice and stay out of trouble is high on my list of faults, both in my life as a vampire and before that as a human.<p>

The first very good reason to avoid human attachments is that humans, inevitably, age and die. That's a complex issue, and one that I can share my thoughts on another time. In this case, however, I had a different human problem. To put it bluntly, it's inescapable that humans are my food source. Yes, I do get most of my blood from the blood bank. But there have been times when the blood bank was not available.

Now I feel bad enough for having to feed from a human at all. But having to feed from a human that you care about, that's one of the worst positions I could find myself in.

Go ahead, ask, and do you know this from experience? Well… more on that in a minute.

Now, I know that part of my attraction to Beth is her humanity. She makes me feel almost normal. At the very least, she's become someone I've trusted to tell my story to. There aren't very many people out there that I've shared that with, either human or vampire.

Unfortunately with her humanity, there's the whole blood issue. She has it and I needed it.

Beth hadn't contacted me in a week, not since I told her the story of my wife turning me. I'm not going to lie, I wanted her to call. I had wanted her to call for quite a while. Now she'd contacted me, but only to ask for help. Help with a case her boyfriend Josh was handling for the DA's office.

Yes, I said help her boyfriend.

Now I'm trying to be a good guy, but I really didn't want to be anywhere near her boyfriend. I was trying to just forget about the fact that she had one.

* * *

><p>Mick was standing in his kitchen, pouring coffee into two cups. Beth was standing behind him, next to the island. Once the cups were filled, he handed them both to her. She met his eyes briefly, then turned and walked across the room to hand Josh a mug.<p>

Josh took a sip of the coffee before he started talking. "I'm sorry about crashing your Sunday morning," he apologized as he walked toward where Mick had leaned against the countertop at the far end of the space. "But I wouldn't do it if it wasn't an emergency."

"Well, you're here now, so..." Mick gestured with his hand for Josh to continue.

"I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot."

_That's an understatement. You wanted to turn me in to the police._

"But I've heard good things from Beth," Josh said. Mick thought he saw a faint look of amusement on Beth's face as she caught his glance in her direction, but she took a sudden interest in her coffee cup, perusing the contents intently.

He looked back at Josh. "I'm glad the buzz is good. What's your point?"

"I want to hire you to find someone, a witness who's gone missing."

Mick's eyes narrowed. "Don't the cops work for you?"

"They do." Josh conceded with a nod. "And they're running their own investigation, but there's a leak somewhere. And I need someone outside the system to find her." Josh threw his gaze to Beth and then back to Mick. "I actually had to drag Beth here. She didn't want me to bother you."

_Hmmm… really? _Beth peeked up from her coffee and gave a slight shake of her head that Josh didn't notice. _I guess I should try to not take that personally and just assume she didn't want to put me on the cops' radar again._

"Okay. Tell me about your witness," he said to Josh.

"Does this mean you'll do it?"

"It means I'll listen." Josh stared at Mick without answering right away. "Hey, you came to me," Mick pointed out.

"Her name is Leni Hayes." Josh told him. "She was the nanny for Amir Fayed's daughter."

Mick thought he recognized the name. "The arms dealer?" he asked.

"Yeah," Josh nodded. "She's only 22, but smart. Leni was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She saw Fayed murder one of his guys. Jack Toland. She's been in a safe house in Hollywood for the last month. Last night, they were hit. I need you to find my witness and bring her back to testify."

_A murderer and an arms dealer… what could possibly go wrong?_

"Okay," he agreed.

* * *

><p>I went with Josh and Beth to the police safe house where Josh's witness Leni had been held and where two officers were killed the night before.<p>

Josh walked me through the scene while Beth waited outside. It's an interesting experience looking at crime scenes with Josh following me around. I can't exactly tell him that my heightened senses give me an advantage he doesn't have.

It took almost no time at all for the detectives investigating the scene to get antsy over my presence. They don't need to know I'm a vampire to not like me. Most police are not too fond of private investigators even when it's the human variety.

We moved through a tiny living room and back to a bedroom. The person who came to attack Leni came in through the front door. Bullet holes were much in evidence. I couldn't smell any estrogen in the blood on the apartment floor and walls, so none of it belonged to Leni. I took that as a good sign that where ever she is, she's not too injured.

While we were going through the safe house, Josh let slip that Beth told him it's never boring around me. I'm not sure what to think about that statement. I guess it depends on how Beth feels about boring. I'm going to go out on a limb and say she doesn't seem to like it. If I'm not boring, then that would be good right?

Of course there is such a thing as too much excitement…

I found traces of female blood on a windowsill leading to a fire escape. From the amount of blood I think it's just a cut and not a bullet wound. Leni could have taken the fire escape down to the alley. I think she was lucky enough to get out and she ran.

Smart girl.

* * *

><p>Mick was outside in the alley behind the police safe house. He was scanning the area for traces of Leni's blood. He was also eavesdropping on Josh and Beth's conversation, but they didn't need to know that. From where they stood Josh at least would believe Mick was out of ear shot.<p>

"This guy's good." Josh told Beth "Somehow I thought you were exaggerating."

"What did you find inside?" Beth asked.

"Beth, remember our deal," Josh shot her a warning glance.

_Deal?_ Mick started moving in their direction.

"Come on," Beth sounded impatient. "I waited outside while you walked Mick through the scene."

"Leni's trail ends at a spot just past that dumpster." Mick stopped in front of them and interrupted their conversation. "The freshest tire tracks show something big. A truck, SUV..."

"Officer Colden drove a truck," Josh interjected.

"Well, can you put an APB out on it?" Mick asked.

"Better yet, he had a low-jack." Josh told him. "I'll get a warrant for the records."

Mick shook his head. That would take too long. "We're running out of time here."

"It's the best I can do. Look, I've got to get back to my office." Josh gave Beth a quick kiss on the cheek. "Keep me informed." He said to Mick before leaving them.

Beth didn't look up but was busy using her phone. "A warrant's going to take too long," she said once Josh was gone.

"Tell me something I don't know."

Beth didn't respond to his comment, but started speaking into her phone. "Steve, it's Beth. I need you to tap into the low-jack system. Find me the current location of a truck registered to Richard Colden."

_So much for waiting for the warrant._ He couldn't help smiling to himself a little in satisfaction.

* * *

><p>An hour later they were both standing on a residential street next to Officer Colden's truck, watching it get towed away.<p>

Mick opened the file Josh had given him on Leni, reviewing its contents. "Okay, she steals the cop's truck to get away, but why would Leni come here? There's no record of friends or family to hide out with." He closed the folder, observing their surroundings.

"Dalton Avenue sounds so familiar," Beth told him. "I think I've covered a story here once."

They started walking down the street. "So, what's your deal with Josh?" Mick asked her.

"Oh, we've been together for a while. He's smart, funny..."

_Whoa, back up, don't need to hear this part._

"No. No, no," Mick laughed under his breath and stopped her. "I meant your deal from the alley."

"Oh, right." She laughed herself and looked embarrassed when she understood. "Quid pro quo." She continued. "He's really worried about this leak. Thinks his calls are being tapped. I'm a clean line of communication with you."

They had moved down the street, crossing from shade into a patch of sunlight. Mick lifted the file folder he'd been carrying, holding it above his head to shield himself from the sun. "So, what's in it for you?"

"The story of Leni's safe recovery," she replied.

"Sounds like a conflict of interest to me." A house across the street caught his attention, and he stopped. It was a small brown craftsman bungalow, probably built in the twenties. He knew he'd seen it from somewhere.

"Post-verdict, it's all legal." Beth's face screwed up and she sounded indignant. "Hey, I've been covering my boyfriend's cases long before I met you.

Mick took a few steps out into the street to get a better look at the house. But the sunlight was beginning to give him a nasty headache, and he felt weak. He took a breath and turned back to stand in the shade, leaning on a white fence for support. His sunglasses and the black jacket he wore kept the light off of his skin and out of his eyes for the most part, but they weren't helping at all with the heat. It was a warm day.

Beth expression changed from annoyed to concern as she watched him. "So, how long can you stay outside?" she asked. "Like, how much sun is too much?"

_There is a reason vampires try to sleep during the day._

He looked back at her. "Any is too much."

"You're a delicate flower, Mick St. John." Her eyes flashed as she teased him.

He gave a short laugh again, quietly. "Don't you have a job or something?"

"Yes." Beth nodded seriously, but the corners of her mouth were still curved up. "Today it's following you."

_So does that mean we're okay?_

He took a breath then paused. "After last time, what with the incinerator and the stakes in the heart… I wasn't sure if I was going to see you again."

Beth nodded, considering. "It was a lot to process," she admitted.

_I'll bet._

"But I'm glad you told me about your wife turning you and..."She was looking at him but didn't finish the thought.

Mick held her eyes for a few seconds before turning away.

"Yeah, I think this is it." He changed the subject and started across the street. He could hear Beth following him.

Mick could see a few drops of blood on the front walk.

_Yep, Leni was here._

"Whose house is this?" Beth asked, looking around as they stepped onto the wide front porch.

"I don't know." Mick flipped up the welcome mat. There was another spot of blood underneath it. "I think Leni knew where the spare key was." He gave Beth the file folder. "Hold that." He took a lock pick out of his wallet, and in less than thirty seconds, the door unlatched and they went inside.

To the left of the entrance was a stairway leading to a second level. On the right of the front door was a living room. Mick could see the kitchen on the far side. Beth started walking slowly through the house, running her gaze around. Mick did likewise.

"Why would Leni come here?" she asked.

His eyes landed on a pile of tissues, stained with blood and left on the floor, just past the entryway where they stood. "To clean herself up." Mick answered Beth's question.

Across from the front door and against the wall was a wooden desk. Next to it was a filing cabinet. Mick thought he recognized the type of box sitting on top of the cabinet. He crossed over to it and raised its lid. The outline of a handgun stood out in the lining of the box, but the gun itself was missing.

"And to get some protection," he told Beth.

Mick turned his attention to the desk and started to sort through the contents.

"Okay… So, the mystery owner has a gun, bandages," Beth's brow wrinkled as she looked around the room. Piles of what looked to be dirty clothes were stacked in several places. "Sub-par housecleaning skills..." She moved to the kitchen table, picking up a letter from the mountain of mail left there.

"Mick!" She spun around, stalking back to Mick and waving an envelope. "This is Jack Toland's house."

Mick's head shot up and drew back. "The guy Fayed's accused of killing? I didn't know Leni knew him."

"Nobody did. Not even Josh." Beth said. "Leni was his witness. Why would she hide something like this?"

Mick opened a package of photographs that had been lying on the desk, pulling out the prints.

_And this would be why Leni came to this house. She was familiar with it. _

Mick held out the picture to Beth. In it Leni had her arms around a man's waist, her cheek resting on his chest. Both of their faces were turned toward the camera, happy and smiling. He recognized the man in the photo. It was Jack Toland.

"Looks like they were in love," he told Beth.

Beth took the photos from him without looking up, rifling through the stack. "If that were true, maybe she kept it a secret so her testimony wouldn't seem biased."

Mick had resumed looking through the desk and found a telephone bill. Only it wasn't for this address in Los Angeles.

"Let me see that," he said to Beth, taking the photograph from her. Leni and Jack were standing outside, in front of a wood building. Behind them the number 164 was mounted on the wall. He checked the phone bill and showed it to Beth. "164 Las Cruces Lane. It's in Victorville."

He put the bill down and grabbed the phone from its stand on top of the desk. He looked over at Beth. "Fingers crossed." He hit the redial button on the phone to pull up the last number that had been called.

"Rapid Trek Bus Line," a voice responded through the phone.

Mick shot a glance sideways over to Beth. She shook her head as if impressed.

"Yeah, can I have the times for all the LA-Victorville busses today, please?" He asked the operator.

The operator told him to hang on and then gave him the bus times which he wrote down. He thanked her and hung up the phone.

He turned back to look at Beth. "Well, this is where we go our separate ways."

"Oh." Her face fell. "Why can't I go with you?"

_She's disappointed she can't come?_

"Because this girl is scared and she has a gun." Mick told her truthfully. "Besides, you're my contact to Josh, remember?"

"I know," she shrugged. "It's just that being on the hunt with you is kind of fun."

"Yeah," He laughed and rolled his eyes. "It's a giant thrill ride that never ends." He walked to the front door, opening it. "You know, sometimes, it does end…" he turned back to remind her, waving a hand for emphasis, "in terrible screams and bloodshed."

He stepped out onto the porch. Beth stood in the doorway behind him, staring. Her expression was still warm and not the least bit intimidated. "Still," she said. "We make a good team."

He couldn't help the smile he gave back to her.

* * *

><p>Only one bus going to Victorville had already left today. I jumped in my car and got ahead of it. According to their schedule, the next stop was at a gas station and diner, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.<p>

I parked my car and stood there, waiting. It wasn't very long before the bus pulled in and a girl I recognized to be Leni climbed off it, walking over to the vending machine. I came up behind her, trying to approach as cautiously as possible. I introduced myself and told her that Josh had sent me to help her.

I wasn't cautious enough as it turned out. For some reason, she didn't actually believe my story. Having a hit man take out the police officers assigned to protect you would make anyone suspicious I guess.

What she did do, was pull out Jack Toland's gun, aim it at me, and pull the trigger. This should have been my first clue that I might have made a mistake getting involved in this case. Leni only hit my arm, but it hurt like hell. Thankfully I heal fast enough that she thought she missed me.

After that I tried explaining to Leni that she needed to trust me, because if I had wanted to kill her, she'd already be dead. If I was standing here getting shot at, I probably didn't mean her any harm.

She relented and agreed to at least sit down inside the diner and talk to me.

We found a table and she explained to me how she'd watched Fayed murder Jack. Somehow she felt guilty for Jack's death, like it was her fault. But she swore she couldn't testify anymore.

As we talked I couldn't help focusing on Leni's heartbeat. There was something odd about it. It took me a little longer to put my finger on what it was… an echo in her heartbeat, smaller and faster.

Leni was pregnant. That's what she was trying to protect, and why she'd had a change of heart in testifying. Jack had been trying to change and become a good guy for her. In the end it's what got him killed.

Seeing Leni, how young she was and how scared, there was something about her that I couldn't shake. She was a good person in a tough position. I promised her that if she would trust me, I wouldn't let anything happen to her, or to her baby… Jack's baby.

I called Beth to give her a status update. Josh insisted on sending a local police escort to bring us back to L.A. I tried arguing with him, but he didn't want to take no for an answer.

* * *

><p>Mick was waiting by a window in the rundown truck stop diner and gas station where he'd caught up to Leni. She was in the ladies room and he'd checked on her not long ago. She'd sworn she was okay, just wanted to wash up a little before going back out into the heat.<p>

Out of the corner of his eye he could see a man in a local police officer's jacket approaching from a side entrance. Mick gave him a quick glance.

"Mick St. John?" the officer asked, walking up to him. Mick had no choice but to acknowledge the guy. "I'm Officer Clark, Victorville PD. I'm supposed to give you an escort back to L.A." He held out a wallet with an identification card for Mick's examination.

"I told the D.A. I didn't need an escort," Mick explained to the officer, checking out the card and handing it back.

The guy shrugged and gave Mick a friendly smile. "I just know what I was told."

Mick nodded that he understood. "Must be hot in that jacket." He indicated the heavy coat, designed for much colder weather, which the officer was wearing.

"I never get hot," the officer assured him with another smile.

_Fake ID, heart beat too fast, winter coat, and he keeps smiling at me. This guy is not a cop. He's bad news._

"Cold as ice, huh?" Mick replied, keeping his tone light and upbeat as well.

"Something like that." The fake officer laughed. "Your girl ready to go?"

"Yeah, she's resting up in the ladies' room," Mick answered him. "I'll get her." Mick walked past the officer toward the bathrooms. The officer stayed close at his heels, forcing Mick to stop. He needed to convince this guy not to follow him.

"You know what, she's a little overwhelmed at the moment. Why don't you wait here?"

Mick could see a flicker of uncertainty cross the officer's face as he hesitated.

_Aww, come on shithead, no big deal here, you can trust me._

"Sure," the officer finally answered with a nod.

With a smile that was supposed to indicate gratitude, Mick walked away as calmly and deliberately as possible.

* * *

><p>Gravel spun up from the dirt parking lot leaving a cloud behind them as Mick floored the accelerator on the cop car. With a rough bump and squeal of rubber however, they made it onto the road. He checked the rear view mirror. It killed him to leave his car sitting in the parking lot, but he didn't have a choice. The man that had been sent to do god knows what to them, kill them was his first thought, had a clear view of Mick's extremely recognizable vintage black Mercedes. They couldn't have gotten into it without him noticing.<p>

Good thing Victorville PD's police cars were old enough that hot wiring them wasn't a challenge. Also good that the would be hit man had left the cop car out of sight, behind the building.

Mick was steering the car with one hand and dialing his cell phone with the other. In the passenger seat beside him Leni was still fumbling to buckle her seat belt.

"What's going on? Why did we steal a cop car?" Her expression was more than a little upset and her voice was panicked.

"To put miles between us," Mick told her. "Dammit!" The phone blinked at him as the call refused to go through. "Still no signal."

"Miles between who?" she asked.

Mick dropped his phone onto the seat next to him. "Us and the guy sent to kill you." He didn't look at her, but focused on forcing the car to go as fast as possible.

"What?" She swiveled her head to look behind them, back toward the diner. "How did he find us?"

"Doesn't matter." He shook his head. "Now it's about losing him."

They were hurtling down a stretch of highway out in the desert. Los Angeles and civilization was still a good distance away. Only a few minutes had passed when his hearing picked up an odd whomp, whomp, whomp sound from behind them. He was pretty sure he knew what made that sound, but he took a few seconds to tell himself it wasn't possible.

He took off his sunglasses and checked the rear view mirror, nonetheless.

_You have got to be joking._

His worst fears were confirmed. A black helicopter was outlined against the blue sky, and it was gaining on them rapidly.

Leni noticed him staring at the mirror. "What?"

Mick shook his head. "You had to piss of an arms dealer, didn't you?"

Leni spun around in her seat to stare out the back window at the helicopter. By Mick's estimation her heart beat had increased by quite a large and dangerous amount. "Look out!" Leni yelled over to him.

Mick checked the rear view again. _Oh shit!_ A rocket was now flying through the air toward them, courtesy of the helicopter. "Hold on!" Mick ordered Leni, slamming on the brakes. The car spun in a 360 degree turn and skidded to a stop and the rocket flew over their heads to hit the sand on the shoulder of the road, exploding in a bright ball of orange flame.

Mick threw his arm across Leni, flinging open the passenger side door. "Get out! Get out!" he commanded her. "Shut the door." She gave him a startled look but did as he asked, jumping out of the car and running into the underbrush.

Mick grabbed the police officer's nightstick from the floor of the car. He wedged the gas pedal down with it, before throwing open his own door and flying out of the car, rolling out of the way.

He looked up just in time to see the car, still speeding down the road, get hit with a second rocket and explode.

_Damn it!_

The helicopter, evidently satisfied with its work, flew off into the distance. "Great!" he exclaimed loudly, getting to his feet. Leni stood up as well, looking over at him. She was shaking. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she nodded, her breathing coming out in fits and starts. "Just a little freaked out. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he told her, "I will be as soon as we get out of here."

But the crushing heat and glaring sun had already started to wear on him. _Sure, a vampire stranded in the desert. If we don't get out of here soon, I will be very far from okay._

Mick could hear the sound of police sirens getting closer to them, attracted, no doubt, by the twin fireballs. Leni could hear the sirens too.

"The police… Do you think we can still trust them?" she asked.

Mick was holding his cell phone up high, but the screen still indicated he had no signal. He gave a sigh and shook his head. "We're probably going to regret this, but we're not gonna stick around to find out." He looked out toward the expansive wilderness of sand and brush leading away from the road. "Come on," he said to Leni, and they turned to walk away, out into the desert and the heat.

* * *

><p>Did I mention that vampires are not well suited to the desert? Well in case you didn't know, I'm telling you now. Yes, we can go out in the sun, but we can't regulate our internal temperature very well. Cold we can handle. In fact cold is vital to our health. Heat has the opposite effect. Too much time in the desert, I'll end up comatose. Before that happens I'll become a danger to any human I get near. Human blood however, has healing properties that help me overcome the heatstroke.<p>

Leni and I walked through the desert for what felt like forever. The longer we walked, the worse I felt. I can't even imagine what Leni must have been thinking about me at that point. But I didn't have the strength to worry about it, I felt like I was dying. The pain was indescribable.

We finally found a motel, a real run down dive. We got into a room and I collapsed in the bathroom. I crawled into the bathtub, filled it with water, and asked Leni to get ice. She did, but it wasn't enough. My body was too far gone and I couldn't heal without blood. I yelled at her to get away from me before I hurt her.

And if I didn't get blood soon, I would hurt her.

I told Leni to call Beth.

* * *

><p>Mick was dimly aware of the sound of the bathroom door being flung open, but he couldn't bring himself to move or turn to see who it was. The pain in his head, running through his whole body, was too much. He couldn't think straight. Every fiber of his being felt like it was on fire. He was being tortured, disintegrated from the inside out.<p>

He had attacked and bit Leni. He remembered it so clearly. He'd sworn to protect her and now he'd failed. But he knew he hadn't fed on her.

"Mick!" Beth's voice reached him, calling his name.

_It's not real. _He had to be imagining this.

But then her hands were on his face and she was shaking him. "Mick! Stay with me! Stay with me!" Her voice was urgent.

He sucked in a breath and could taste her scent. He wasn't hallucinating. She was really here. His eyes popped open in a panic.

"Mick?" She laid her hand flat against his forehead. "You're burning up."

_She'll know what I did! She'll hate me._

"I bit her." Mick panted, struggling to catch his breath. "I'll die before I feed on her."

"Mick, Leni's in the other room. She's fine," Beth reassured him.

_She's not hurt? _ He'd only imagined hurting her.

His eyes shifted to Beth's face and latched on to her, trying to believe what she'd said. She looked back at him, her features softened and she smiled at him gently. Her hands were still on his cheeks, and her touch felt good. His panic receded.

"I guess…" his voice shook, "I guess I am a delicate flower." He tried to make a joke.

She exhaled a breath, not moving her eyes off of him. "I guess you are."

_Has she been crying?_ He could almost swear her eyes were damp with tears.

He let his gaze linger on Beth's beautiful face for a moment, gave her a small smile back. Finally he managed to gather his thoughts.

"Take Leni back," he ordered Beth. "Get her out of here. He's coming."

Beth shook her head and set her mouth in a tight line. "I'm not leaving."

"You have to protect her now."

Now he could clearly see fear reflected on Beth's face. She shook her head again, vehemently. "You're dying," her voice broke.

He'd tried to read what he saw in her expression. _Is she scared for me?_

He'd been captivated by her for weeks now, but he hadn't considered that she might feel a connection too.

_I don't want to die and leave you._

Beth ran her thumb across his jawline, stroking it. She continued to stare at him, but as he watched, her expression hardened. He could see her clench her teeth and the muscles of her throat worked as she swallowed.

She let go of him, rose to her feet, removing her jacket, and letting it fall to the floor. Her body started to shake as she reached up, pulling her hair off her neck, and then holding open her shirt collar with both hands, exposing her neck.

"I don't know how to do this, but I know you need it." Her voice was unsteady.

_Oh God, no… she wants me to feed on her._

Horror raced through his body. She'd be frightened of him if he fed on her. She'd see him for the monster he was and he'd lose her forever.

"No!" He shouted and thrashed his head away, not meeting her eyes. "No, get out! Get out!"

_Please, I don't want to do this. I don't want to hurt her. I have to make her leave._ It struck him that_ this _was in fact a worse feeling than dying.

"You need blood," she insisted, sinking down to her knees next to the tub.

"Not yours. Not like this!"

He wanted to get close to her and hold her in his arms. In that moment he knew in his heart that he did. But sinking his fangs into her body, stealing her blood on a dirty, roach infested bathroom floor, was not the way he wanted it to happen.

She reached out and grabbed him with one hand on either side of his head. Her eyes beat into him. "I want to do this." Her voice was firm and certain.

She wasn't going to let him go. Under other circumstances that would have made him feel good, but not now. Not this way.

'_What do you do when the one thing you need to save your life, is the one thing that would make life unbearable?'_

When she could see his silent agreement, she let him go and leaned back, sitting up, and clutching her shirt collar. Her pulse was racing, her breath coming out in hitching gasps. "I know you won't kill me" she said "and I know you won't try to turn me, either. I've got this vampire friend who's been explaining this stuff." She made a sound that he thought was supposed to be a laugh, but he could tell she was still scared.

The pain in his heart was excruciating.

She was offering her neck to him but he couldn't take her there. It was too intimate, too close. His eyes fixed on her arm. He reached out and took it in his hands, cradled it gently. Beth's breathing sped up, as had her shaking. She closed her eyes briefly.

He sat up straighter and pulled her arm closer to him.

"At some point you're going to need to stop me," he warned her in a low voice.

He let the vampire come to the surface and take over, his eyes changed color and his fangs descended. He lifted her arm to his mouth and let his fangs sink in to her flesh.

Beth jumped and leaned her body forward, her weight pressed onto him. Her head fell to rest on his shoulder.

The world swam away and all sense of time and place was lost as her blood rushed into him. The vampire in him was reduced to taste, sound, smell, and raw emotion, running on instinct. Comfort filled him up, rushing through his limbs, his chest, and his head. He gulped in her blood, losing himself in this connection. Her blood tasted amazing, sweet. In it he could taste her fear, but far beyond that, it was colored by a stronger emotion, one that he could almost name.

Lightness spread through his chest. He felt good, for the first time in many years, he felt really good.

_Mine, she's supposed to be mine, my girl._ The refrain played over and over in his head. It wasn't just a thought, but a feeling that spills over everywhere throughout him.

After what seemed like an eternity, in reality probably only a few minutes, he felt her pulse weaken. Her breathing had calmed. She needed him to stop and let her go. He'd taken enough. Strangely the taste of fear had diminished from her blood and the tension that initially gripped her body was gone. She had relaxed into him, and her muscles were soft and pliable against him.

He eased his bite on her arm, and his fangs retracted. His body returned to his human state, and his consciousness returned.

_Jesus what was that? Why did it feel like that?_

He was suddenly overwhelmed by the proximity of her body. He was hyper aware of her scent and her warmth. His breathing quickened, and he hoped as a human she hadn't noticed.

_That thought… mine, my girl… where did that come from?_

He needed to wake her up, her arm was still wrapped around him and her head was on his shoulder.

"Beth," he said her name softly.

"Hmm?" she murmured, her body stirred a bit.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't respond right away, but she hunched her body into him, and snuggled her head closer to his shoulder. She let out a shuddering breath. She had pulled her left arm into her lap, cradling her wounds in her right hand.

_It's time to let her go_, he told himself.

_Not yet_, came a voice inside.

He lifted his arms and encircled her body. Turning his head toward her, he pressed his nose into her hair. _My girl_, the thought whispered again unbidden.

He held her close to him for a short while. She didn't move to pull away from him. He could feel her chest expand and contract beneath his arms, a peaceful rhythm.

"Thank you," he managed to say quietly.

With those words she pulled back from him, away but not completely out of his embrace. Her eyes locked onto his. Her face a bit lost and confused.

"You're welcome," she answered.

"I… I'm going to go get a towel," she stammered looking down at her arm.

His eyes jerked in horror to the puncture wounds in her arm, still bleeding. He swallowed and then looked away over her shoulder, nodded quickly. "I just need a minute. I'll be out."

"Okay," she said, standing up.

She left the bathroom and he was left sitting alone. He closed his eyes, lifting his left hand to cover them.

* * *

><p>As Beth left the bathroom he could hear her call Leni's name. There was the sound of movement, heavy footsteps, male. Mick inhaled quickly and pulled in the scent of another man, the hit man. He vaulted his legs over the edge of the tub and was on his feet and at the bathroom door. He could hear the hit man on the other side of the door. He had Beth and was threatening her. Rage flew up to Mick's brain.<p>

_You're not going to hurt her!_ He punched his fist through the bathroom door, grabbed the attacker. With a sharp twist, he snapped the attacker's neck. Beth was thrown to the floor. She looked from the attacker then back up at Mick.

_Beth._ He looked down at her, his heart constricting in his chest. He immediately started in her direction.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded back at him.

He was startled by the sound of Leni's voice calling his name and asking if he was okay. He looked in her direction, half hidden at the edge of the room, and told her that he felt better. She let out a sound of relief and ran to him, throwing her arms around him in a hug. He hugged her back.

He looked down at Beth and gave her a small smile.

* * *

><p>Leni got safely home and made it the trial as a star witness. Josh even caught his leak, another DA in his department who'd gotten in too deep with gambling debts. Fayed had bought him off in exchange for information on Leni's whereabouts. Aside from my ill advised walk through the desert and one dead hit man, I guess we all came out relatively unscathed.<p>

That's what it would look like on the surface at least.

But then there's me and Beth…

She tried to come and see me after she fed me, the next night. I could see her standing on the other side of my door, knocking. I wanted to answer it. You have no idea how much I wanted to answer it. I could swear I could still feel her. I could swear her blood in my veins let me feel her heart.

I stood there, my forehead tipped against the door, my eyes closed. There's so much I want…

It has to stop. Being near me will only get her hurt.

I left the door closed and let her leave.

See it wasn't that feeding on her felt bad because I care about her. If anything, feeding on her felt amazing. It was the separating from her afterward that hurt.

Funny, I took a piece of her when I drank her blood. So why does it feel like she's taking a piece of me with her as she walked away?


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** The following chapter is based on plot and characters from the TV series Moonlight. I do not own these characters.

**Author's Note:** The following is a short original scene taking place between episodes 4 and 5.

* * *

><p>Mick was pacing back and forth across Josef's office and breathing heavily. Josef, seated safely in his desk chair, had been talking about something, but Mick was too distracted to listen right now.<p>

"Mick?" The sound of Josef saying his name reached into his thoughts and he stopped walking to look back at his friend.

"You okay? I've been talking for ten minutes now and it's like you're not even here."

Mick swallowed thickly and glanced down at the marble floor before looking up to meet Josef's eyes. He shook his head. "I… Josef I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Josef lifted a hand and waved it through the air. "Hey… no big deal. It's nothing earth shattering. But if you're going to ignore me perhaps you should tell me what's going on."

_Not sure that's a good idea._ Still though, he had to talk to someone about it, and if not Josef, then who?

Mick stared at Josef, thinking. Josef raised an eyebrow in return. Mick nodded his head at last, once, before raising his hand and running it through his hair. "I bit her Josef. I fed on her."

Josef sat up straighter in his chair. "You fed on someone? You mean an actual live human?" His voice betrayed surprise and he shook his head, doing a double take. "As opposed to that bottled junk?" A smile broke over his face. "That's great! I'd told you'd that you would have to feed on a live person again eventually."

_Damn it Josef! Not what I need right now._

Mick shot an angry look at Josef. "No Josef, it is definitely not great," he growled.

"Mick, wait a minute, back up. Now who did you feed on again?" Josef cocked his head to one side. He regarded Mick with an expression that bordered somewhere between concern and amusement.

"Beth, I had to feed on Beth." The words came out heavily, as if it took an effort to say them. Mick turned his head away from Josef again, unable to meet his eyes.

Mick could see Josef draw back. His eyes widened, before he regained his composure. But when his voice came out, it was calm. "Oh, your reporter friend, really? Well that's interesting."

"Interesting?" His voice sounded a bit loud to his ears. "That's not exactly how I'd put it." Mick glared at Josef.

"Oh-kay, someone's a bit touchy." It was Josef turn now to avoid Mick's gaze as he continued. "Look I am well aware of your aversion of feeding on a live human. Now if it were me," Josef tapped his chest lightly with a forefinger, "I'd be pleased to have the chance to feed on her. She's quite attractive actually." Josef smirked sideways at Mick. "But I gather from your current state that you're not comfortable with this development."

"Of course I'm not comfortable with it Josef!" The volume of Mick's voice rose a few degrees farther. "I don't want to feed on any humans let alone…" he abruptly stopped without continuing the sentence. He clenched his hand into a fist. Anger and fear had risen through his chest. He couldn't get the image of her arm wrapped in that towel out of his head, how the dark red spots of blood soaked it. He was ashamed of himself.

Josef mercifully changed tacks, perhaps taking consideration of Mick's agitated state. "How did this happen? Is she alright now?" He asked quietly. "It's not like you actually hurt her did you?"

Mick head jerked up to stare at Josef, wounded by his suggestion. "What, you mean other than the enormous bleeding puncture wounds in her arm?" He threw one hand into the air. "No, other than that she's not hurt." He paused to take a breath. When he continued his voice was soft. "You know I'd never hurt her if I could help it Josef."

Josef nodded a bit, not taking his eyes off Mick. "Okay, good. So what's the problem?"

_What's the problem? You're kidding right?_

"Is she terrified of you now?" Josef prodded. "Is that what has you upset?"

Mick shoulders slumped and he shook his head, breaking Josef's gaze. He walked over to a chair in front of Josef's desk and sat down in it. "No, I don't think she is. She seemed somewhat distant, and she was quiet, which trust me, if you knew Beth, quiet means something is not right." A ghost of a smile crossed Mick's face. "But I couldn't smell any fear on her, at least not after the initial bite."

"I know how much it bothers you when the human you're feeding on is scared," Josef said. There was no sarcasm or irritation in Josef's tone, only sympathy. "Well, unless they deserve to be scared that is." Mick looked up at Josef who had smiled a little. Mick tried to smile back, but the attempt came out weak.

"So was it any good?" Josef raised an eyebrow at Mick suggestively.

_You could say that…_

"Josef," Mick's voice was exasperated, "come on, really." He turned his eyes up to the ceiling.

"What?" Josef gestured with his hand. "It's a valid question. You're going to sit here and tell me that you aren't attracted to her?" He inclined his head to his chest in disbelief.

Mick was still avoiding Josef's eyes. "I've known her since she was four Josef."

"Don't give me that." Josef shook his head. "We both know you that until a month ago you hadn't seen her in years, and don't think I haven't noticed how you perk up these days when you see her picture or her name gets mentioned. You look at her differently now than you used to. Are you going to deny it?"

_Josef has noticed? Great. _Mick groaned internally.

"It wasn't like that. This didn't feel like that." Mick avoided answering Josef's questions.

"So you're saying you're not attracted to her." Josef blinked at him innocently.

"No, I'm not saying that," he shot back. "I'm not saying anything about that right now Josef." Mick knew his irritated reaction would probably guarantee future teasing on this subject, but it seemed unlikely he could escape. All he could hope was to put Josef off a while. Mick stayed quiet for a moment before continuing. Josef waited for him.

"Have you ever fed on a human and felt…" His voice trailed off.

"Felt what?" Josef asked, sounding intrigued.

Mick struggled for words. "This felt, possessive almost. Like she belonged to me, like she was supposed to be with me. And before you say it," He held up his hand to cut off Josef's next words. "Not just in a physical way, it was different than that." Mick looked pointedly at Josef. "It felt really…"

"It felt good," he finished.

Josef stared back at Mick for a moment, his face neutral. He didn't say anything.

Mick paused then continued. "I've had quite a few freshies over the years, but nothing like this… have you ever?"

Josef was noticeably silent. When he did speak, his voice was low, emotion lurking underneath. "Yeah, I've been there a few times. That can happen." He didn't elaborate. Finally the corners of his mouth curled up into a grin. He let out a chuckle. "You are in such big trouble buddy."

Mick let out a short laugh. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

"What are you going to do?" Josef wanted to know.

_Nothing that I want to do._

"I don't know Josef," Mick responded, shrugging. "Like you've said before, we can't be around humans. It's not safe for us or them."

"But you want it to happen again." Josef was making a statement, not asking a question. Mick looked back at him. "That's the problem."

Mick nodded at Josef, and then looked down at the floor. The room lay still and hushed for a minute.

Finally Josef broke the quiet. His forehead furrowed quizzically. "Hey, you didn't tell me what happened. How did you end up feeding on her anyway?"

_Okay, time to change the subject._

"Yeah, that's a long story." Mick darted his eyes to Josef then away again. It was a safe bet that Josef would not be happy to hear that Mick had managed to almost get himself killed, again.

"Really?" Josef raised his eyebrows. "Well I've got some time, try me." He gave a placid smile that Mick knew was a trap.

Mick exhaled a breath. "I took a case, ended up stranded in the desert, in the heat. That's the short version."

Josef was looking back at Mick. His face had morphed and most definitely contained no amusement. "The desert? Are you insane?"

"Yeah, okay. It wasn't a good idea. I get it."

"So what, Beth came to bail you out and you fed on her?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Mick told him.

"Do you have a fucking death wish?" Josef was glaring at Mick by now.

"Josef…"

"You know, it may not be safe for vampires to be around humans. But I can think of one particular blond human that's been pulling your ass out of the fire a lot recently."

"I'll be more careful in the future, okay Josef?" Mick's eyes were on Josef's face.

"Why don't I believe you?" Josef smiled at him grimly.

Mick laughed and gave him a smile back, getting up from the chair. "Thanks Josef."

Josef shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome."

"I'll call you tomorrow." Mick told him. Josef nodded back. And with that, Mick turned and headed for the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: The following is an adaptation of episode 5, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note**: This is a revision of the chapter I originally posted. Longer with more details. I'm putting up the revised chapter April 11, 2013

Please, please leave a review! Thanks for reading.

* * *

><p>Okay look, before you even say it, I was avoiding her for her own good. My little crush on Beth aside, it was time for reality, and the reality is, humans that get near vampires have a tendency to get killed. Whether they're with the vampire intentionally, or against their will, it doesn't often end well.<p>

Not that Beth was going to make my resolution to avoid her easy on me. Once again, if she didn't run screaming in the other direction after finding out that I was a vampire, she definitely should have run after I fed on her.

Did she? Run I mean? Well, not exactly. She did try to contact me. In the week since the desert she'd called several times.

Alright, yes, so she'd called four times.

And no, I didn't call her back.

So, you're not entirely convinced about the danger of humans with vampires? Let me tell you a story, a case I was working on.

I was approached by parents looking for their missing daughter. She'd come to LA from the Midwest with the intention of becoming an actress. Unfortunately for her, she ended up an escort. I'm pretty sure that acting was entailed, but I guessing it wasn't what she had in mind.

Her parents were desperate to find her. She had cut off all contact with them.

* * *

><p>Mick was in Josef's office looking for help and now found himself seated in front of Josef's desk. He was here because Josef had promised he could assist in Mick's missing person investigation. Of course Josef being… well Josef, wasn't going to get to the point without first taking the opportunity to harass Mick about his recent encounter with Beth.<p>

"So, your reporter friend… what's her name?" Josef smiled at Mick with benign amusement from his perch on the other side the desk.

Mick restrained himself from rolling his eyes. _Really Josef? _ "You know her name." He returned a cool smile.

"Yeah… right." Josef nodded. "So how's it going since…" Josef lifted his arm towards his mouth and mimed baring his fangs. He grinned at Mick. "Happy hour?"

_You're determined to make me regret telling you about this aren't you? _

"Fine," Mick answered him, managing to keep his expression unperturbed and friendly.

Josef gave him a quick nod. "Knowing you, it means you're avoiding her." He met Mick's eyes, clearly enjoying himself. "You're a romantic in the abstract, my friend, but the reality of fang on flesh…"

_Moving on… _ "Look." His eyes darted up to the ceiling and he gave an awkward laugh before going back to Josef. "You said you could help me find the missing girl."

"Did I?" Josef cocked his head to the side.

Mick exhaled a breath. "Yes."

"What do you think he's here for?" Josef's eyes moved over Mick's shoulder to indicate the individual sitting a short distance away, at the conference table in the center of the office.

Mick twisted in his seat to look behind him. He turned back to Josef and shrugged. "Your new valet?"

"No," Josef responded. "Maestro of all things telephonic." Josef rose from his chair, walking around the desk toward the conference table. "Rider England, Mick St. John," Josef called out their names as way of introduction.

The conference table, in front of which Rider was sitting, had been taken over with an array of computer monitors, keyboards, and other electronic paraphernalia. The man himself was a youngish appearing vampire, tall and lanky. Despite his business attire, consisting of suit pants, dress shirt, vest and tie, he still gave off the aura of computer geek.

"I hear you're looking for someone," Rider said to Mick brightly.

"Right," Mick answered him, pulling a printout he'd been given by girl's parents from his jacket pocket and handing it over. The piece of paper was copied from an internet web site for female escorts. It featured a photo of Cherish, as her name was given, wearing only revealing black lace lingerie. Her long blond hair curled around her and she stared into the camera with an intense, provocative expression. Mick felt bad that her poor parents had to see her like this.

"A perfect 10." Rider quoted the words on the page, drawing them out slowly, raising his eyebrows.

_Don't start drooling now kid._

"What'd she do? She break your heart?" Rider's voice lilted up, teasing, but his eyes stayed glued to the page.

"No," Mick informed him, "her parents'."

"Well, she requires references." Rider looked up and smirked. "You know that."

Mick shook his head a little. _No wonder Josef likes this guy. They have the same sense of humor. _ "Yeah, I'm not looking to hook up, I just need the address."

"No problem." Rider said, looking back to his computer monitors and typing. He was still smiling.

"You hear that? No problem." Josef sounded proud of his protégé.

"No problem," Mick echoed.

Rider banged away on his keyboard as Josef and Mick stood behind him, watching the screens. The web site for Hollywood Dream escorts came up, the same logo as on Cherish's web listing.

"Boy, a lot's changed in 400 years," Josef remarked as they took in the multitude of options being presented on the site. A rotating assortment of photographs began to cycle through, all beautiful women.

"Yeah, there's no regular cathouses anymore," Mick conceded.

"Another casualty of the digital age," Josef continued. "Now it's categories." He proceeded to tick off the descriptions of the photos they were seeing. "Blondes, Asians, busty, mature." A picture of a woman wearing a bikini, standing next to a horse appeared. Mick narrowed his eyebrows. Josef paused for a second. "Equestrian."

_I don't even want to know._

"Choice, choice, choice," Josef spit out. "It's very efficient, very American." He sighed.

Mick looked over at his friend, unable to keep amusement from his face. "You sound almost nostalgic."

"Whatever happened to the good old days of four girls on a street corner undercutting each other?" Josef blinked back at him without a trace of irony in his voice.

"Okay. Here we go." Rider interrupted Josef's lament, and they turned their attention back to him. He had evidently found Cherish's address and it appeared on a monitor. Mick leaned down to get a closer view of the screen. "Wilshire Corridor," Rider gave Mick the address. "God, these pros do love their high-rises.

Mick shot him a last sideways look before straightening up. "Thank you, gentlemen," Mick told them. And with that, he left Josef's office.

* * *

><p>Because of Josef's and Rider's help, I did manage to get to the condo belonging to my client's daughter. If only I had gotten there, and that had been the end of the case.<p>

If only…

Problem was when I went to check it out, I didn't find their daughter. I found a crime scene… a murder to be more specific. Not just any murder, but violent, gruesome, bloody, the victim's body had been shredded. And I could smell vamp all over the place.

See where this is headed?

Okay so on one hand we have a beautiful young escort, admitting men to her apartment for certain private… paid, activities. On the other hand, we have a vampire in her apartment.

Is it possible that there was a vampire who just had a thing for _killing_ call girls? Sure, yes, maybe it was possible he was finding these girls with the express intention of murdering them. But given their profession… it's more likely that drinking their blood wasn't his first idea. In the end though, whatever his intentions were, they didn't matter. It looks like the vampire in him took over the rest.

When it comes to my own fears about human and vampire interactions, it's not the intentional killings that I'm worried about. I know that I would never intentionally kill Beth. It's unintentionally killing her that scares me.

And as I've already pointed out, just knowing me at all has already resulted in my drinking her blood, leaving wounds on her body. Visible wounds I might add. You think her boyfriend Josh didn't notice those? Yeah, neither did I.

Actually I know for a fact that Josh noticed her wounds. See I bumped into them downtown just yesterday. They were there because Josh insisted Beth get a tetanus shot after her accident with the chain link fence.

I'm not going to comment on the fact that Josh believed her chain link fence scenario… or at least I'm trying really hard _not_ to comment on it.

But I digress, where was I? Much as I hate it, it's possible my missing girl, might have become a dead girl, and at the hands of a vampire. It was time to go back to her parents.

And remember what I said about avoiding Beth?

* * *

><p>The hallway and room where the body was kept were dim. Mick was wishing, for their sake, they didn't have to see her. He turned and stopped them outside the entrance of the room.<p>

"You sure you want to do this?" Mick asked again to be certain.

The girl's father looked down at his wife, who gave a brief nod. "We have to know," he answered Mick.

They turned and entered the morgue freezer room. Against the far wall were rows of stainless steel doors, behind each, a locker with a pull out tray that could contain a human body.

As they entered the room Mick placed the scent and sound that he'd noticed outside in the hallway. Somewhere in the back of his brain, he had identified it right away, her smell and her heartbeat. These days he couldn't ignore the unmistakable jolt to his senses that was the presence of Beth, even if he'd tried to ignore it. And he'd been trying really hard to ignore it.

For some reason, and he really would love to know what it could possibly be, Beth was hiding in the adjacent room. What she could be doing in the morgue at night, he did not know, but it wasn't like this would be her first time here…

He pulled his thoughts away from Beth and tried to focus back on the matter at hand, leading the girl's parents over to a table in the center of the room. A motionless form was waiting, draped with a sheet. With a last look to make sure they were ready, he folded back the cover, to reveal the dead girl's face.

They all stared down at the dead body, and the woman exhaled a breath seeing the girl and started to cry.

"I'm sorry." Mick said softly.

Her crying grew more intense. "It's not her," she finally managed to tell him before turning to hug her husband, holding on to him for support.

Mick's brain reeled as he stared at them. _What the hell is going on? Who is this and where's their daughter?_

After a moment, the couple gathered themselves, and Mick led them out of the room. He reassured them that he would devote himself to locating their daughter and would be in touch as quickly as possible.

They told him that, unfortunately, they did recognize the girl on the table. She had been a friend of their daughter's from home and they had come to LA together. And with that piece of information, they were gone, down the hallway.

Mick went back into the room, heading towards a small office off to the side of the main area. Beth was crouching down in the office hiding behind a wall.

"Everybody's gone now. You can get up."

She looked up at him and her eyes met his with a hint of amusement. He grabbed her hand as she stood. _Did you really think I wouldn't notice you?_ Maybe that would have worked with the other hospital employees, but surely she knew it wasn't as easy to hide from a vampire. Particularly when he was the vampire and she was the human.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned her.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing" she countered back. Her manner was cool but he could tell from her expression that she was happy to see him.

"No, the person hiding around the corner in the other room gets to go first," he pointed out.

She paused for a moment before answering. "There's a sexual predator on the loose," she finally said. "I don't know if sexual is the right word, but there was rumors of an odd M.O."

"A biter?" he deadpanned.

"That's an understatement. I don't mean to cast aspersions but I think it might be…"

"It's a vampire," he cut her off, "an extremely frustrated and dangerous one."

He turned away from her and walked over to the table to get another look at the body. Beth followed him.

_So she's working on a story._ It would figure, this was exactly the sort of thing Beth usually covered, especially given her new found awareness of vampires.

"So, your turn," she said, watching him.

He explained about tracking down the missing girl. How his interest, initially, had nothing to do with the vampire, but was just a routine missing persons case. He had gone to the girl's condo and discovered a crime scene.

"Which crime scene?" she asked quickly.

He looked back at her confused. "Wilshire Corridor, 87…"

"18." She finished for him. "That's how I ended up here too."

They stared at each other for a moment before Beth shook her head. "I'm freezing. Let's get out of here." He couldn't say that he blamed her for deciding to get away from the dead body. She turned to exit into the hallway and he followed her.

Once in the hallway she only made it a few steps before spinning around to face him. He recognized the determined cast to her face. It was clear there was something on her mind, and he wasn't going to escape without hearing it.

"Okay, I'm just going to say it. Don't you think it's a little weird us running into each other here?"

He narrowed his eyes, confused. "Not really. What do you mean?"

"You've been avoiding me."

_Uh-oh, not liking the direction this conversation is going._

"No I haven't," he replied. He could hear his voice automatically taking on a defensive tone, as if it were a ridiculous accusation.

Okay, yes actually he'd been deliberately avoiding her, for a multitude of reasons, the dead body in the room behind him being just one good example of why he had them.

"Yes, you have." Never being one to take anything he said at face value, she smoothly contradicted him. Beth was not going to be so easily deterred from her assessment of his behavior.

"Ever since...you know…" she paused and swallowed, "the desert." She strangled the word out with difficulty. A distinct burning discomfort filled Mick's chest at her mention of their last private encounter.

"You've been dodging my calls, avoiding me," Mick clenched his teeth and looked away, over her shoulder. "And then we run into each other. Following two completely different paths, we end up in the same place. Don't you think that's a little strange?"

_Well when you put it that way…_

He met her eyes again. They were just two individuals whose jobs necessitated they ran into each other often. Why put more thought into it than that? "You know what? I'm not big on categorizing things into strange and not."

"Wow, vampires make really bad liars," she fired back at him, eyes flashing.

Alright, fine, so what if he did think it was strange? It still didn't change anything about their relationship, or rather the lack thereof he was trying to manufacture.

He tried reasoning with her. "I don't think we need to make this a big deal."

"It is a big deal." She whispered, but her voice had grown increasingly agitated. "I fed you." She lifted her hand displaying her wrist. Thankfully she kept the wound he knew was there covered. "You were dying out there, and I brought you back to life with my blood… with my blood Mick." Her eyes widened and she heavily accentuated the word blood. "And now we're here, together."

If there was one thing he did not need a reminder of right now, it was feeding on her. It was bad enough that he'd hurt her, worse that he'd enjoyed doing it. Now she was trying to convince him that what… that it meant they were doomed to keeping finding each other?

"What do you want me to say?" His eyes locked on to hers and he pleaded with her. "What do you want me to say?" If he sounded desperate and frustrated, it was because that was how he felt.

"I want you to admit something happened between us."

She was gazing up at him, expression serious and her words carrying the weight of belief. He stared back at her. _What? Do you feel like something happened between us?_ He knew that's what he felt, but he hadn't been sure about her. This conversation was torturing him.

"Okay," he huffed out a breath, "something happened." He answered her but kept his voice flat and emotionless.

A wounded look of hurt landed squarely on her face and she spun on her heel to stalk away from him. "Well if you're going to say it like that."

His hand flew out and he grabbed her upper arm, stopping her. Yes, rationally he wanted her to give up on this idea of a connection. But somehow he couldn't actually bring himself to let her be angry and walk away. If his goal was to put distance between them for her safety, he knew he really should let her get pissed off, consider him as just another callous, selfish, jerk, not all that different from many human men.

The memory of the desert and how it had felt to hold her in his arms swam into his head. She was right, something had happened, he knew it… and it wasn't as simple as his drinking from her. His feeding on her blood had overwhelmed him, left him shaken with surprise. In hindsight though it really only confirmed what he should have realized before, didn't want to admit to be true, the bond, the connection was already there between them. And it was like almost nothing he'd ever felt before.

None of that however changed the reality surrounding their circumstances. There was no hope for anything resembling a normal relationship between them. At its worst he could end up hurting or killing her. How could he risk that, risk her life? He needed to attempt to make her understand.

She looked back at him expectantly, waiting.

"So what if I called you back, huh?" he asked her. "What then?"

"What do you mean?"

He took a breath and exhaled. "You understand that I'm a vampire, right?"

She blinked back at him as if there was no reason this detail should concern or upset her. "Yeah."

_What exactly do you want to happen between us?_

He was trying to wrap his mind around what she was thinking. He knew for a fact that she was supposed to celebrating her one year anniversary with Josh tonight, and told her so. Why was she in the morgue arguing with Mick instead?

She didn't really answer him. Not that he thought she even knew the answer to that particular question. "All I'm saying is that I'm here, and so are you, and there must be a reason."

_God I wish I already knew what that reason was._ It struck him that maybe the reason was as simple as he had wanted to see her again, but he shoved the thought away. No higher power would be that merciful to him. He didn't say anything.

"Help me track the killer, and I think you'll find the girl," she finished pragmatically.

How could her refuse logic? He did still need to find the missing girl.

So yet again, against his better judgment, he'd have to work with Beth.

* * *

><p>After running into Beth in the morgue, I eventually agreed that working with her on this case was in both our best interests. Hopefully we could find the girl, as well as identify and neutralize the vampire that had been committing these crimes.<p>

I ended up going to Josef's office for assistance yet again. Rider had gotten a list of incoming calls to the dead girl's website. The assumption being that the killer was one of phone numbers. I'd called Beth asking her to come by Josef's office. All we needed Beth to do was pretend to be the escort if someone answered when Rider dialed their number.

"The dead escort's name was Natalie Hall," Rider informed Mick. "Professional name, Jazzmyn, two 'z's and a 'y,' Voted 'most likely to succeed' by her high school class." Rider was reading off of his computer monitor and Mick was watching over his shoulder. "Not sure how the others fared, but that's seeming unlikely at this point. Favorite quote, 'Have fun in the sun, get laid in the shade.'"

Mick looked over at Rider. "Careful what you wish for, right?"

The bell signaling the arrival of the elevator chimed behind him. He turned toward it as Beth stepped out, led by another of Josef's assistants. Mick crossed the room with swift steps to intercept her as she moved down the entry hallway toward them. She gave Mick a quick, half smile which he returned, the tension from their argument the previous night put aside.

By the time they were on their way back to the conference table, Josef had already risen from his chair and was standing in front of them with a charming smile, waiting to be introduced.

"Josef, Rider meet Beth Turner." As if Josef wasn't already well aware who she was, but if Beth was thrown off at all meeting wealthy and powerful Josef Kostan, she didn't immediately show it.

"Beth Turner, 'BuzzWire,'" Josef reached out and shook Beth's hand, "such beautiful woman on the internet." The intensity of Josef's gaze, as it settled firmly on Beth's face, did not escape Mick's notice.

_Turning on the Kostan charm are we Josef? _A twinge of jealousy struck him but he tried to ignore it.

"Thank you..." Beth smiled back at Josef. "I guess," she added, shifting her eyes around the room apprehensively, realizing perhaps who she was talking to.

Josef tore his eyes off of Beth and looked over at Mick, standing just by her left shoulder. He raised his eyebrows and his mouth twitched up.

_Don't even think it Josef, _he silently warned his friend, smiling back at him.

"So are you going to tell me what I'm doing here?" Beth prompted them.

"Mick said she had a great voice" Rider commented from the conference table.

_What? I… I didn't say that exactly… wait did I? _He couldn't remember and tried to ignore Rider's comment, embarrassed. It was a good thing vampires couldn't blush. Instead he went ahead with answering Beth's question. "Rider here has got a list of all of the incoming calls to the dead escort's website during the last 24 hours of her life. One of them is probably the killer."

"So you want me to call the numbers?" she asked.

"Quick study," Josef interjected, pleased.

"And what, talk to him?"

"If we're lucky, yeah," Mick replied.

"What am I supposed to say? I've never spoken to a serial killer before." She gave a small nervous laugh under her breath.

"Oh, you know, be polite… 'please', 'thank you.'"

_Very helpful Josef, thanks. _

"Just do whatever…" Mick's voice trailed off, bemused and unable to think of any advice in this particular situation.

"…whatever escorts do," Rider finished for him.

"Yeah." Mick looked down at her and nodded.

"Okay," she answered, as if it were a reasonable instruction. She pulled her coat off and then lifted her head, meeting Mick's eyes. The corner of her mouth curled up. "Whatever you want." She let the tone of her voice drop down and pronounced each word slowly. The effect was sultry and seductive.

_Oh my God. _He couldn't help his reaction and the involuntary tightening of his stomach. An entertained smirk crept across his face. She raised an eyebrow, still smiling then turned away to find a chair. _Not supposed to be enjoying this,_ he commanded himself, shaking his head a little.

He shot a sideways look at Josef, who was now also staring at Beth with wide eyes and obvious interest. Checking first to make sure she wasn't watching them, Mick narrowed his eyes at Josef and shook his head again. _Cut it out. Stop looking at her like that._

Once they were all situated at the table, with Beth at the far end next to Rider's computer set up, and Josef, thankfully in Mick's mind, sitting at the opposite side away from her, Rider dialed the first number. Mick didn't sit down, only leaned over, resting his arms on a chair back between Josef and Rider.

A man's voice answered the phone. Beth responded using the same sexy voice as before.

"Who is this?" an annoyed voice demanded through the phone.

"It's me, Jazzmyn," Beth purred in return. She met Mick's eyes and made a funny, awkward face, wrinkling her nose and biting her lower lip. He stifled a laugh and smiled back at her in reassurance.

She went back and forth with the caller, trying to elicit a reaction from him. It didn't take long.

"You idiot whorebag," the caller growled at her, "I told you never to call me here." Beth's mouth dropped open in surprise and she clapped her hand over it. The call disconnected as the man on the other end hung up.

Mick covered his face with his left hand, trying to hide the helpless laugh that was threatening to escape him. It did no good though, Beth was already giggling herself.

_This is not supposed to be funny, _he tried to remind himself. But for some strange reason Beth pretending to be a prostitute was hysterical. Something to do with the sex in her voice, combined with her innocent looks and expression. In the back of his mind it struck him that his laughter was probably some form of overcompensation. A way of dealing with his level of attraction to her right now and how uncomfortable it was making him. _You are not attracted to her. You've known her since she was a kid. You are not…_

He took the hand away from his face. _Damn it, she's cute. _

She cleared her throat to recover. "I messed up," she apologized.

"No, you didn't." Mick shook his head.

"I ruined it," she insisted.

"You didn't. It's fine. It's not him." He stood up strait and waved a hand to emphasize his point. "He thinks she's alive. He's not who we're looking for. You were, uh… I mean…"

_Do you really want to tell her what you thought of how she sounded? _Mick stumbled for words and looked over at Josef for help. "She was..."

"Very impressive," Josef told her.

Rider on the other hand went right on ahead and said it. "Hot," he grinned at Beth, "very, very hot."

Beth wobbled her head and shrugged as if pleased.

"Next?" Rider asked her and she nodded back at him. Mick leaned forward to rest on the chair again as Rider punched the number.

When the next call picked up, the male voice on the other ended sounded young. "Hello?" the caller said.

"Hey," Beth answered him.

"Cherish?"

Mick's head popped up fast. Beth had caught the name right away too and was looking at Mick now, urgent and focused. She covered the microphone on the headset with one hand and mouthed the name to him. "Cherish?"

Mick nodded quickly back to her. _That's her. That's my missing girl._

"Is that you?" the voice on the phone came through. "Are you there?"

Beth turned her attention back to the phone call. "Yeah, I'm here. Where else would I be?"

"We're still on for today, right?"

"Can't wait," Beth told him evenly. "That's why I'm calling you."

"Good. I'm really glad. You seem really nice. We're gonna have a blast."

A shadow of doubt crossed Beth's face and her forehead furrowed. Mick could feel his expression mirroring hers. _Something doesn't make sense here. _

"So?" the caller continued.

"Yeah?" Beth asked. Her eyes were still full of questions.

"See you at Greenies," the caller chirped brightly and then there was a click.

"Wait," Beth hurried to stop him, but it was too late. The line had gone dead. "He hung up." Beth's gaze wandered down to stare in the general direction of the table top as if considering a problem. "That's weird, kind of reminded me of high school." She looked back at Mick. "Sounds like he wants a girlfriend, not a hooker."

"Does anyone know where Greenies is?" Josef asked.

Mick shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

"I'll poke around." Rider told them. "Meanwhile, call was traced to a landline, 1730 Los Feliz. If the plan is for today," Rider looked away from the computer and over at Mick, "you might want to hurry."

"Let's go." Mick caught Beth's eyes across the table as he stood up. She was already in motion to follow him.

* * *

><p>Beth and I made it across town in record time. Unfortunately it wasn't fast enough. The caller was already gone. The vamp smell outside the apartment however was the same as from the crime scene where Natalie Hall, aka Jazzmyn, had been murdered. We were on the killer's track at least.<p>

A little breaking and entering later, we found ourselves in a dingy, run down hole. The walls were painted dark red and blackout curtains covered the windows. The largest notable item in the room was an industrial sized freezer, laid on its back. There was little furniture, except for a table and a high backed rolling desk chair, but there was an abundance of large flat screen televisions, three of them, all hooked to sophisticated computers and video games.

There were only two other items of note in the room. The first was a framed photograph, sitting on a shelf. In an antique brass frame, a sepia toned picture dating from about the mid 1800's depicted a lineup of ten or so women, all wearing dresses that would be considered revealing in the cleavage department by the standard of any date in history. The technology may have been a lot less high tech than Hollywood Dreams web site, but the implications were no less clear.

What interested me more than the prostitutes, however, was the teenage boy standing next to them. He was leaning his chin on a broom, just on the edge of the shot. With lots of curly black hair, and blank empty eyes, he couldn't have been more than sixteen. I think it's a safe bet that the boy in the photo is our killer. That would make him about sixteen going on a hundred and fifty now at least. I'm guessing the prostitutes in the photo might explain the fascination with call girls now.

From the sound of the phone call, the killer was meeting my missing girl that afternoon. So the good news was, if we could figure out where they were meeting, then I'd found my missing girl. The bad news, however, trumps the good. She has no idea she's about to hook up with a sexually frustrated teenage vampire with control issues. As if being a call girl wasn't scary enough already.

The other important find in the apartment was Natalie Hall's date book, left sitting right out on a countertop. Guessing the killer wasn't planning on anyone coming in to search his place. Beth grabbed the date book and we made a bee line for my car.

* * *

><p>They were rushing down the sidewalk toward Mick's car. "He's a kid, maybe 16 years old."<p>

"16?" Beth's voice lilted up in shock.

"Well, going on 150 or so," he told her. "I saw a picture."

"Ugh," she made a face, "awkward age."

"You're not kidding. You know, boys that age think about sex 20 times a minute, and that's a scientific fact?" He laughed under his breath. "Over a century and a half… that's got to take a toll."

They had reached the car, left parked by the curb. "Shouldn't we tell the police?" Beth asked.

Mick opened the passenger side car door for Beth. "Well, he's a vampire. It's probably healthier all around if we don't."

Beth agreed and sat down in the car. Mick shut her door and crossed around to the driver's side and got in. Beth was already thumbing through Natalie Hall's date book. She pulled out a snap shot photo that had been shoved into the pages and examined it.

"Look." Beth held up the photo for Mick to see. In the picture Natalie was cheek to cheek with another blond woman of the same age. They were both smiling for the camera.

"That's her," Mick blurted out. "That's the girl I'm looking for." He stared at the photo for a moment longer. "Does that say 'Greenies'?" The photograph appeared to have been taken in a bar. Behind the girls, there was a sign with the name Greenies on it. If Beth's phone call was to be believed, this bar was the place where their teenage vampire said he was meeting Cherish today.

Mick picked up his phone and started searching for a bar with the name Greenies. It took a minute, but he found one with that name located at the Santa Monica pier.

Beth had turned the photograph over. "There's a number on the back."

Mick told her to call the number as he put the car in drive and pointed it towards Santa Monica. For Cherish's sake, he hoped they were going to the right place.

After a minute Beth made a small noise of frustration. "It went to Cherish's voice mail."

"It's a public place at a crowded pier. She should be okay until we get there."

_At least I hope so._

They drove in silence for a while. Beth stared out the window. "So how does it work, anyway?" she asked, breaking the quiet.

"What?"

"Just, you know… the sex thing." He looked over, just in time to see her raise her eyebrows suggestively.

_Whoa, excuse me? Did I hear that right? _

He squinted as if puzzled but couldn't help smirking at her. "Your parents never told you?"

"They somehow skipped the part involving vampires," she flashed him a smile.

"Oh," he nodded, looking away from her to the road.

"Vampires and humans, I mean," she added.

He did a double take, his head snapping back quickly to look at her. _And why are you asking Beth? _

His face must have betrayed his thoughts. "Oh, I'm talking totally hypothetically, believe me," she hurried to explain after catching his glance.

_Alright, so this conversation is getting uncomfortable._

He focused back on the road. "You want to know how it works?" he asked. "It doesn't, okay? It doesn't work."

"So it's impossible?" It sounded like she didn't quite believe him.

"It's not impossible," he admitted. "It's inadvisable. It never ends well."

Beth was looking out the window again. "Never?" Her voice was soft and thoughtful. He was trying to pretend that he didn't hear a hint of disappointment creeping into her tone.

_Never, yep, that's what I'm going to keep telling myself._

Instead of saying anything further, he took the opportunity to change the subject. "We're almost there. You should check that number again."

"Okay," she replied, lifting her cell phone to call Cherish again.

Mick exhaled a deep breath and tried to put his mind back on catching the killer, a far easier subject to tackle right now than Beth asking about humans and vampires and…

_Focus of finding Cherish and catching the killer. Yeah, that's what I'm doing. Sure._

* * *

><p>They arrived at the pier and left his car, getting out and walking quickly down the boardwalk. Beth had meanwhile dialed Cherish's number again. Someone had picked up, but no one was speaking. Beth handed the phone to Mick.<p>

"Cherish?" he asked into the phone. "Cherish? Anybody there?"

There wasn't an answer, but in the distance he could hear voices. The same teenage voice as early in Josef's office growled, "you're coming with me."

_It's him, it's the killer! He's already with her damn it! _A surge of adrenaline hit Mick. He kept moving down the boardwalk, scanning around for the Greenies bar sign. He didn't see it. He needed to slow this kid down before he escaped with Cherish and did God knows what to her. He decided that if he could hear them, it was just as likely the killer could hear Mick.

"I can hear you and I know what you are," Mick said into the phone. "I understand why you're doing this. The bordello. Is that it?" There was silence on the line, but Mick could hear breathing, as if someone had put the phone up to their ear and was listening. "Who turned you? What did they do?"

Mick continued talking in an effort to reach the kid. He had trouble believing that the guy really wanted to hurt these girls. He just needed to help the killer see that releasing Cherish was his best option. "Are you there?" he asked again. "Let her go. I know you want to."

That got a reaction. "Who are you?" a young male voice snarled.

"My name is Mick St. John." Mick took a breath. "I know you're a vampire."

He spotted Greenies a short ways ahead. They could be anywhere nearby. He ran his eyes over the crowds around them, searching. He moved deliberately, not wanting to miss something. Beth kept pace next to him. It would still take a minute to reach the bar.

"Where did you get this number?" the voice on the phone demanded.

Mick ignored him and continued. "You're a vampire like me."

"Oh, like you, huh?" The kid sneered with irritated disbelief.

"I know what you're going through."

"Oh, you know? Is that right?"

_You just want to be with her without hurting her don't you? But you can't._

They had almost reached the bar.

"I know that you feel cursed," he said into the phone. "Like fate has played a cruel trick on you, like you're going to wake up one day and realize this was all a mistake, but you don't wake up, not as the years roll by, the decades…"

"Centuries, Mick. Over a hundred years. I didn't choose any of this. It was done to me."

_That's not an excuse. "_You can always choose," Mick told him.

"Sure," came the sarcastic reply.

Mick reached the outside of the bar and stopped. A flurry of motion near the rear door caught his eye and Mick raced toward it. Beth stayed hot on his heels. The other vampire's scent hung heavy in the air and he could follow it through the space leading toward the back.

As he ran, he could hear Cherish's phone clatter to the ground. He found it lying on the ground, and sped out of the bar, back onto the crowded boardwalk.

_He can't have gone far. _

Outside again, Mick slowed down, focusing his hearing for the killer's voice and the sounds of Cherish struggling. The light breeze coming off of the ocean had taken away any advantage his sense of smell had given him inside the bar.

A short interval of less than a minute's time passed and he only traveled a small distance when his ears picked up a whimper of pain from inside the arcade a few doors down. The sound was from a female voice, and it was followed by the guttural growl of something inhuman.

Mick sped up again and shot into the arcade. The bells and whistles of the games around him made it hard to hear, hard to think even.

_Where are you?_

Another sound, a cry, and his head swiveled in that direction. He spotted a photo booth. A pair of feet wearing high heels could be seen below the closed curtain. Mick reached the booth, tore open the fabric.

The same teenager from the old Bordello photo glared back at him. Mick grabbed him, pinning him to the wall. The kid was standing on the booth's seat, holding Cherish close in front of him. His hands were clasped around her neck and his finger nails, sharp points, dug into her pale flesh.

Cherish let out a short frightened gasp.

"Let go of me!" the young appearing vampire shouted. He shook Cherish for effect, drawing Mick's attention to the precariousness of her situation. The kid could easily snap her neck with his hand or slit open her throat with one fingernail. "Let me go!" he threatened again.

Mick released him and took a step back. His eyes stayed glued to Cherish. Beth also had stopped nearby. She stood frozen, staring at the pair before her.

Mick met the kid's eyes. "You don't have to do this."

Many of the milling throng that filled the arcade had noticed the commotion and were also now watching the action with concern. "Hey, man, let her go!" the voice of one bystander rang out.

The young vampire whipped his right hand away from Cherish, and let it fly behind him to slice open the bystander's neck. Before Mick could register what he'd done and take action, the kid had let go of Cherish, throwing her toward Mick, and sprang up into the air, jumping over a few machines to escape.

Mick handed Cherish off to Beth, before dashing out after him. He reached the boardwalk, stopping and turning in circles. He was in the wide open space of the pier. He should have been able to see the kid somewhere.

_Where the hell did he go?_ Mick drew a breath in through his nose. There was nothing, no trace of him. He closed his hand into a fist, digging his fingers into his palm.

He wasn't there. He'd vanished.

* * *

><p>I sent Cherish back with Beth, who promised to keep her safe till I could locate her parents. It was almost sun set by the time they left.<p>

"What are you going to do?" Beth asked me before getting into a taxi with Cherish.

I told her the kid could not have gotten far. Not without the power of flight at least and last time I checked vampires still can't do that. I needed to stay here on the pier and be sure he wasn't hiding somewhere.

Should I have just called in reinforcements? Probably. Another vampire killing humans, cops have already noticed. Based on that alone, both the Cleaners and Josef would love to help get this guy, but they'd kill him right away. Part of me hoped he could change. I guess part of me hoped I could save him too.

I paced around the pier for hours, till long after dark and the pier was closed, all the humans had left. I found a dark corner near the arcade, looking out over the boardwalk, and tried to make myself still and silent. I waited and waited, had almost given up hope, assuming I'd screwed up and lost him.

Then on the edge of the boards, a hand rose out of the darkness to grasp the railing. Another hand appeared after the first, pulling themselves up. He climbed over the fence at the edge of the pier to land silently on the wood. As I watched him, he swept his gaze across the area. Apparently contenting himself that he was alone, he began to amble along, in the direction of the amusement park. He shoved his hands in his pockets and a satisfied look of pleasure rose to his face. I suppose he was happy to have gotten away.

I waited till he was a little past me to start talking. "It doesn't have to be this way," I said loudly.

The kid practically jumped he was so startled. He turned this way and that, looking around and searching for me. He only hesitated for a moment though before moving toward my voice. "I know what you're going through. I've been through it myself," I continued.

I wanted a distraction, just like in the arcade. The noise had made it hard to concentrate and the lights made it harder to see. I'd already found the control booth earlier and had broken the lock. I went inside and started flipping switches.

I looked down at the kid. I could see him but he hadn't found me yet. He wasn't saying anything so I tried again. "You hear me? I know what it's like."

"You think so?" he replied, angry. "You think you know?" I got out of the control booth, but had lost sight of him. I started walking toward his voice. "You couldn't possibly," the kid was saying. "I mean, you were turned at what, 30?" He made a scoffing noise. "I'm stuck. All I've ever wanted is to grow out of this, and I won't...ever."

"Someone betrayed you," I said.

"Oh, you think?" he snarled.

I rounded a corner and jumped out to where I thought he'd be standing. No such luck. Damn, he's fast.

I looked up. Above me was the large round pipe that comprised the roller coaster and carried the cars. It was a high vantage point and the best place to see everything. I crouched down then sprang up into the air, landing on the tracks. I searched the ground below but I still couldn't see him.

From below me I heard the slam of the metal door on the control booth and I wondered what the kid was doing.

"You're not the only one," I told him. I know something about what it feels like to have been betrayed.

It became suddenly clear what the kid was up to in the control booth. The electric whir of the roller coaster car starting up reached me, followed by the clack, clack of the car mounting the first incline. I watched it go, still standing on the tracks.

"Have you ever loved someone completely? So that she was your whole world?" The kid's voice reached me over the sounds around us. "You'd do anything she asked, anything at all."

I should have been prepared and unfazed I know, but his words struck me. They washed over me like an ocean wave that threatens to knock you down.

"Have you ever loved someone that way?" he continued. "So you forgot about yourself and all you thought about was her?"

My mind took me back to my wedding night, carrying Coraline in my arms across the threshold of our hotel room. I'd told her that I'd love her forever. I meant it at the time.

"Yes," I answered him.

"See, I never have," his voice sneered from behind me.

I turned to face him, but the bastard was holding a large metal rod which he slammed first into my stomach, then across my back, knocking me down. I vamped instantly. I tried to get up, but he kept hitting me with the pipe. I couldn't regain my footing.

Alright, time for conversation was over.

He jumped up, from the track where we were standing, to land on another. I had just enough time to look behind me and discover his reason for moving. The roller coaster car was hurtling toward me.

If Beth ever hears about this, I'm pretty sure she'll point out this is why I shouldn't have been standing on the tracks in the first place.

I jumped up as well, only to be knocked down by the kid when I landed. He held me down by kneeling on my chest. He may have looked young, but age has its advantages. He wasn't just fast, he was strong too. He roared, showing his fangs and then jerk his head down, sinking his teeth into my neck and ripping the flesh.

Seering pain tore through my entire shoulder. I roared back and pounded my fists on him till he released me. Not that being let go did much good. The kid popped to his feet and I tried to do the same. He caught me with a kick to the head, thrusting me down with his boot holding my cheek to the rail. Panic rose through me. I could hear the roller coaster car coming, could feel the vibrations as it rattled our way. I thrashed around, but his foot didn't budge. It hit me that I wasn't going to make it. This stupid punk teenager, although he was nearly twice my age, was going to end my immortal days.

And then just like that his foot was gone. I didn't pause to question why, just rolled away out of the path of the roller coaster. It sped past me, only inches from crushing my body. I heard the hard thwack of the train coming into contact with something solid, and the smell of blood filled the air around me in a cloud. It wasn't till after it had finished passing that I could to look up and see what had happened.

He must have slipped. There was a patch of dark brown grease on the pipe near where he ended up. His body was still intact, suspended in midair and caught in the metal rails. His head on the other hand should have been right on the level where the coaster car had passed. Instead it had landed, eyes open, on the wooden boardwalk far below us. He'd been neatly decapitated.

He may have wanted many things. He may have wanted to outgrow the awkward age at which his body had been stuck. He may have just wanted to be with a pretty girl without being taken over by instincts and blood lust beyond his control. In the end it didn't matter what he wanted.

Some force greater than him had a different plan. That force catches up with us all eventually I guess.

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><p>Mick walked into BuzzWire's main area with Cherish's parents following behind him. He felt grimy and disheveled from his fight, but he hadn't wanted to take the time to change. He'd gone right away to pick up the girl's parents. They'd waited long enough.<p>

He could see Beth sitting on a chair in a small office with a glass wall on the far side of the room. Cherish was next to her, hunched over and staring down at her hands. Beth had put her own jacket around the girl's shoulders. Cherish looked up as Mick approached, and she spotted her parents behind him. Mick stopped on the far side of the office, letting her parents continue their journey towards her.

Beth got up from her chair and walked out of the office, leaving Cherish to reconcile with her parents in private. As Beth exited the small room her eyes hit on Mick's. She started in his direction but was stopped by her editor before she got very far.

_And that would be my cue to leave. _He turned away to go back to the parking deck before Beth could reach him.

He still didn't enjoy avoiding Beth. That hadn't changed, but this case had only solidified his beliefs. He had no other choice. _What I want doesn't matter, _the mantra echoed in his head. The case was over, the killer was gone and the girl returned to her parents. Talking to Beth now, letting her think he would keep seeing her… it was too hard.

He got out of the building and climbed the parking deck to the top level where he'd left his car. Whether it was a result of exhaustion from almost being killed in the fight tonight, or because he genuinely felt conflicted about leaving Beth without a word, he tried to pull his keys from his pocket, but ended up fumbling them. They dropped to the concrete and skittered away under the car, almost beyond his reach.

_Just great,_ he gave an inward groan. He crouched down to surface of the parking garage on his hands and knees. Stretching his arm out, he strained to touch the keys with his fingers and pull them toward him.

He had no sooner risen to standing when he instantly recoiled backwards in surprise. Someone stood right there, almost on top of him. The woman also jumped back at the same time as him and let out a startled gasp, her frightened eyes catching his own. Beth…

She had evidently decided to come looking for him, and had walked over to his car, not seeing him down on the pavement. He'd been so distracted by the keys, and by the rest of the events of the evening, he'd missed her presence. She'd inadvertently snuck up on him, not an easy feat.

After he took a moment to quiet the reverberating shock that had seized his body, a completely inappropriate feeling of warmth ran through him.

_She followed me? _He couldn't help it, he was happy that she had. He lifted his keys and shook them to indicate what he'd been doing. He could feel the smile that taken over his face, quite beyond his control.

She on the other hand was staring up at him with a crestfallen expression. "You just took off," she accused him, her voice hollow with disappointment.

"Well you were kind of tied up with your editor," he tried to explain.

The aggrieved look she was giving him should probably have made him feel guilty, and it did a little, but he was having trouble getting much past how cute she looked right now.

"You could of at least said goodbye." Her beautiful blue eyes stayed on his face, wounded.

His eyes flitted up over her head and around her, trying to come up with the right thing to say. He finally looked back at her. "Good…"

He only got the first part out when she leaned up and pressed her lips against his in a kiss.

His eyes shut and his body tensed at the feeling of her mouth against his. His brain was playing catch up, trying to process what his happening. She broke away from him.

His eyes flew open and he sucked in a quick breath, adrenaline coursing through his veins like lighting. _Did that just happen?_

Her eyes hadn't moved off of his face. A soft smile crept across her features.

"Bye," he continued the word from before her kiss. Clearly his brain had not caught up yet.

He was frozen, unable to tear his gaze from her face. She reached out and touched his cheek. His insides tumbled over. He loved the feeling of her warm hand on his skin.

The corners of her mouth curled up farther. She leaned in and kissed him gently again, holding him a beat longer this time.

With her kiss, a tightness and a fear he hadn't known was there, unwound from the pit of his stomach and flew away.

She released him, and without a word, she turned and ran away.

He watched her go, unable to help the broad smile that stole across his face.

And suddenly nothing else mattered, only how he good he felt in that moment. Maybe what he wanted didn't matter, or maybe this time it was the only thing that did.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Moonlight. This chapter takes place after episode 5 of the show.

**Author's Note:** Thank you, thank you for all who are reading and thank you to those who have reviewed. I truely appreciate it. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. It's a little different than that others. :)

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><p>I'm not sure how to even begin. I guess I'd always thought that the one benefit of my life being touched by tragedy, fear, and sheer insanity as a child, was that I'd be immune going forward. I'd already paid my dues, as it were, in a cosmic sense at least.<p>

You could say that I was a bit naïve.

Because let me tell you, the turn my life took twenty something years after my kidnapping as a child, sounds more than a little insane. And there was more than a fair share of fear, although not actually from the source you'd think… but more to that in a minute.

I was working on a story. I should explain, I'm a reporter and I cover a lot of crime. While investigating a few months back, I met this guy. I'd been trying to get a picture of a dead body that had been found in a public fountain… for my story, just thought I should point that I don't take pictures of bodies for fun… when I was walking away, I looked up and there was this person watching me.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. Isn't that creepy? You're a reporter, there's a crime scene, a dead body, probably murdered, and now someone is watching you?

Well if you put it that way, alright it does sound creepy. But it wasn't like that, really. I looked up at this guy watching me, and I knew him, instantly. I couldn't tell you how, or where. I couldn't tell you his name, or anything about him really, but I knew him.

You want to hear something even stranger? Most times you see someone you recognize but don't know very well, there's a spark, an "oh, I know them." It's just a quick shot through your brain, not much of an emotional reaction. This time, however, was way more than a quick shot. I took one look at Mick, that's his name by the way, and my heart flew. I was so happy and relieved to see him.

No, I do know that I said I couldn't tell you anything about him, certainly not how I knew him. So why the strong reaction? And before anyone says it, no we're not talking about the usual, attraction to a cute guy.

Well…. we're not just talking about an attraction to a cute guy at least. I am human, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find him attractive…

Okay, getting off topic, back to my story. The second time I saw him my first response was far from happy to see him. More like he scared me half to death, but I was breaking and entering at the time, so that was my own fault. The thing about being near Mick was, on one hand I felt instantly comfortable with him, but on the other hand, there is something unusual about the guy. Like, the hair on the back of your neck stands up unusual. Maybe it's because I'm a reporter, but it's hard for me to let things go and leave mysteries unsolved, and Mick was a mystery. I managed to convince him that we should to work together on my story, his case. Partly because we both wanted to solve the crime, and partly because I wanted to understand why I felt the way I did when I was around him.

And it was a good thing he agreed to work with me because I went ahead and almost got myself killed. Mick to saved me. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that investigating murderers is not without its downsides. Downsides like the murderer trying to kill you. Lucky for me that Mick was there to stop him.

I woke up in Mick's apartment. I was trying to shake off the fear I'd been left with. I was so confused. I could have sworn I'd seen Mick stabbed in his altercation with the murderer. I mean, I was drugged at the time, but really, I knew I'd seen the knife go in. And then, not long after, he was right in front of me, totally unharmed.

Remember what I said about the hairs on the back of your neck?

But more than my thinking that he had been stabbed, when I woke up on his couch, I was sure that he was the man who had saved me as a child. He was the man who had rescued me when I'd been kidnapped. Only, there is no way that's possible, because I was taken over twenty years ago, when I was four years old. I was just really confused, right?

I stood up to leave, took one look up at Mick, and I reached out and hugged him. I know, I know, I had just been traumatized yes. Reaching out to him was a natural reaction. So why did it feel like so much more than that? Why did it feel like that was where I was supposed to be? I'd only known him for a few days hadn't I? He wrapped his arms around me, and I just wanted to stay there with him, for as long as life would allow.

So right now you're asking, what's the problem?

Well, first off, I do have a boyfriend. That's the very normal problem. Josh is a great guy incidentally. I'd being lying if I said I didn't think at the time that we were happy together. We were, and would have mostly stayed that way I'm guessing, before I met Mick. Josh and I have been together for about a year. We go on dates. We spend the night at each other's apartments. I'm comfortable with Josh and he makes me laugh. And yet, when asked if we're moving in together, umm, I have no burning desire to do that. Mick on the other hand, one hug and I wanted to hold on and not let go.

And then there's the abnormal problem…. Yeah, so I need to explain a bit more about that.

Not too long after he saved my life, I had the chance to save his. Lee Jay Spaulding was a convicted murderer who had something against Mick. A vendetta I guess you'd call it. I wasn't sure how this was possible, being that Mick would have been a child the last time Lee Jay was a free man. First Lee Jay tried to frame Mick for shooting him. When that didn't pan out he kidnapped a woman, a friend of mine and thus my initial connection to this case. Mick freed my friend, but Lee Jay shot him in the process, was trying to kill him.

I had come with Mick and I shot Lee Jay.

Yes, you heard me right. I killed him. Admittedly Lee Jay was a dangerous man, a man that had already hurt my friend, and was trying to kill Mick, but still if it hadn't been Mick he was threatening, I don't think I would have been able to pull the trigger. How could that be? Why would I feel that strongly about protecting a man that I barely knew?

As if shooting Lee Jay wasn't frightening enough, before I could register what was happening, Mick was gone, disappeared. Now keep in mind, I was well aware that Lee Jay had shot Mick, so when I couldn't find him, I was scared. Did he go to a hospital? Did he get medical treatment? I couldn't think of what else to do, so I went to Mick's apartment, hoping to find him and verify that he was okay. Maybe his injuries weren't as bad as I had thought they were.

I found Mick in his apartment. He'd been in such a hurry that he'd left his door open. I was not even remotely prepared for what I found. I couldn't see his face at first, his back was to me. He asked me to leave, but there was no way I was leaving without answers. When I finally got a look at his face, he was changed. His skin had taken on a gray cast, his eyes had turned to an almost white icy blue, and his teeth, two of them at least, had become fangs. And then there was the blood dripping down his face. Blood that he had been drinking.

He had fangs and he was drinking blood.

Yes, really. And no, I am not making this up.

I asked him what he was, cause let's face it, he clearly wasn't human.

He looked me in the eyes and he answered me in a shaking frightened voice, a tortured human voice. "I'm a vampire," he managed to spit out.

This person who had saved my life, a person that I had just shot someone to protect, he was bleeding and scared. In front of me was a person who, I confess, already haunts my dreams, and what did I do?

I turned and ran away out the door.

So that you see, is my abnormal problem. Mick is a vampire.

You are just going to have to go with me on this and trust that I'm telling you the truth. I mean, he drinks blood, he has fangs, and he's apparently 85 years old. Yet he looks to be only thirty or so.

Take a minute… believe me it took me quite a few.

Still with me? Good. So, there is more. More than you saving the life of a vampire you're asking? Funny you should put it that way. Yeah, so about that saving his life thing….

I know what you're going to say. Any sane person who finds a man with fangs that is drinking blood walks out the door and does not come back. I know that, really I do. And if it had been anyone other than Mick… but I couldn't do it. I did come back to see him.

I'm not going to tell you that I wasn't scared. I was scared, but not really of him, if that makes sense. I was scared because, it's hard to wrap your brain around the idea of real vampires, vampires in the drinking blood, non-aging sense. But when I finally managed to knock on his door, and he answered, I found myself just pouring out questions to him. I wanted to know more about him, his life, his story.

He did eventually trust me enough to tell me at least some of his story. Not surprisingly, it's pretty unpleasant. He didn't ask for this, to be turned. His wife turned him on their wedding night, without telling him what she was or was planning to do.

He keeps telling me he's a monster, or that at least he was. I have trouble believing that. I do however have a few choice adjectives I'd use to describe his now, thankfully, ex-wife. I'm trying to keep those to myself though.

I haven't been a saint through this whole thing believe me. After he told me about his wife I had a whole week where I couldn't bring myself to call him. We'd had just finished working on another case together, and this time I had the opportunity see how dangerous a vampire intent on killing humans can be, see one in action so to speak. I admit it, I was freaked out. When I did finally call him again, it was to ask him to help Josh on a case. (Josh works in the LA D.A.'s office, Mick is a private investigator.)

Which brings me back to the whole saving his life thing. In the course of helping Josh, Mick eventually ended up stranded in the desert. Vampire plus desert heat equals really bad. By the time I reached Mick, he looked like he was dying.

I couldn't lose him. I can't lose him. I know this makes no sense, really I do. But remember how I said when I hugged him, I thought that it was where I was supposed to be? That's nothing compared to how if felt when he fed on me.

Yes, fed.

As in my blood.

When you have a dying vampire, they need blood. So that's what I gave him, my blood. Believe when I say, if there had been any other way to get him safely home without my volunteering to get bitten, I would have taken it.

It stung when he sunk his fangs into my arm. It stung a lot, but the pain went away. After that first shock of pain faded, I guess I lost myself for a moment in him. My head on his shoulder, his mouth on my arm, the world fell away. I wanted to exist with him. Nothing else mattered. There's a connection between us. I can feel it.

Before it _felt_ like I was supposed to be with him. But when he fed on me, I _knew_ it.

And then he released me and I was lost again, only this time without him.

I've been trying for the last week to understand this connection to Mick. I've been trying to sort through what the hell I feel, and what it means for my life. It hasn't helped that he's been running away from me. Am I the only one that was affected by his feeding on me? Maybe it isn't a big deal to him? I don't know. I finally got him to talk to me a little. After a week of his avoiding me, some cosmic force kept throwing us together over the last few days, running into each other accidentally. Working on cases separately, different cases, that turned out to be the same case. He wanted to know if I'm aware that he's a vampire.

Yes I am aware.

And he wanted to know why I wasn't with Josh, at an anniversary dinner party we were hosting in my apartment. I don't have an answer for him about Josh yet.

But I do know that tonight after the case was over, Mick tried to run away from me. He left to go to his car without saying goodbye. When I realized that he was gone, I ran after him. I found him on the roof of the parking garage. I was trying to tell him that I was hurt he'd left without saying goodbye. I didn't really let him finish though. My eyes were focused on his face and an impulse swept through me. I reached up and I kissed him.

I kissed him twice actually.

I'll tell you the truth, I thought I'd experienced strong feelings in my life. But none of those compare to the feeling of those two quick kisses. Nothing could compare to seeing the expression on his beautiful face after I kissed him.

In the end, it turns out that my experience as a child made me in no way immune to tragedy. It has come home to roost in my adult life. But this time the tragedy isn't my own. The tragedy is his. He had his life stolen from him, by his wife of all people. He's been turned into what he thinks is a monster. And now, much as I know I should walk away from this insanity that is my wanting to be with a vampire, I can't do it. I don't want to.

What the hell do I do now?


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: The following is an adaptation of episode 6, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note:** So this is my version of episode 6 B.C. I'm replacing my original chapter with a revised version on 8/31/13. Please, please let me know what you think and leave a review.

Thanks!

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><p>So what if you could try out being a vampire? Just for a few hours, you could experience some of the highs of our existence. How do you think it would change you?<p>

Of course it's a trick question, because really there's no such thing as trying out being a vampire. The finality of it, the inability to go back to being a human and enjoy little things like food or sleep in a bed, not to mention the blood lust, that's part and parcel of vampire existence. Those fun little tortures really define being a vampire as much as the benefits do. You try feeling like you've developed a whopping case of the flu every time you go out in the sun. It's no joke.

No one thinks of the down sides when they ask about existence as a vampire.

But I guess one of the traits of most beings, humans and vampires alike, is to ask those what if's. We have a tendency to push the barriers, and more often than not it gets us into trouble.

And speaking of trouble… looks like this week it was Josef's turn to find it. Hey, it can't always be me right? It was almost a relief to watch the tables turn for a change.

Josef came to ask me to help him track down an old friend, Lola. He was purely concerned for her safety mind you.

Okay, actually no, as is often the case with Josef, if he is really, truly concerned, then money must be involved. But regardless of his motivations, Josef asked me to find Lola, and I told him I'd help.

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><p>Mick was seated at the desk in his office. On the computer monitor in front of him was a picture of Josef's erstwhile acquaintance Lola. Acquaintance wasn't quite the right word, but Mick got the impression that Josef believed his relationship with Lola defied easy explanation. He also had a bad feeling that it was a bit less complicated to Lola. Quite simply, she'd played Josef, not an easy feat.<p>

Mick was shooting the occasional glance over at Josef who was seated on the couch. Josef's face bore an expression of general irritation and impatience, a fact that had not escaped Mick. Consequently Mick was taking every opportunity to draw out Josef's discomfort.

"Okay, okay," Josef interrupted Mick midsentence. "So did you find her?"

Mick smiled back at Josef. "Before I tell you that, I just have to know, is there any chance you hired me to find beautiful Lola, so you could cut off her very photogenic head?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Josef responded in an innocent tone.

Mick stared back at Josef silently. _You're kidding right? You're desperate enough to find her that you get me involved, but you want me to believe you're not angry with her? _

Mick was well aware Josef hated to admit he needed help from anyone for anything, even if that person was his best friend. Telling people what to do was more his style. He liked to be the one in charge of manipulating the chess pieces. If he was actually willing to admit to Mick he couldn't handle this Lola situation without Mick's help, something had to have gone seriously wrong. He didn't say what he was thinking though. "You tell me," he baited Josef instead.

Unfortunately Josef was still hell bent on playing it close to the vest. He didn't answer Mick.

Mick continued by explaining to Josef that this woman, a very old vampire, had bought a metric ton of silver recently. Being that the chief use of silver, at least in the vampire community, was as a poison, Mick found her purchase interesting, concerning really. Lola could do a great deal of damage with that much silver.

_She bought an arsenal of vampire poison Josef. I think that sounds like a problem._

Josef assured him that Lola was old enough, and strong enough that not many vampires would want to go up against her. Still Mick wasn't convinced. He got up from behind his desk and walked around to sink into a chair closer to Josef.

"So what aren't you telling me?" Mick asked.

"Ah, your vamp sense must be off." Josef looked down at the antique gold pocket watch in his hands. He had shown it to Mick earlier. Inside the cover it contained a small portrait of Lola. "I'm telling you all I know."

"No," Mick corrected him calmly, "it's actually my detective sense at work here, Josef. What's going on?"

Josef gave him a quick glance. "It's embarrassing okay?"

"Uh-huh," Mick nodded, encouraging Josef to explain further. _I don't care how embarrassed you are, I'm not letting you off the hook on this one._

"She stole money from me," Josef reluctantly admitted in a sullen voice.

"I knew it!" Mick snapped his fingers, pleased he'd been right and simultaneously annoyed it had taken Josef this long to get to the point. "How much?"

"A million bucks," Josef growled. "Siphoned it from one of my accounts right before she disappeared."

"What did you give her your password or something?" Mick raised an eyebrow. Josef just looked back with a sheepish smile, his eyes hitting on Mick's face then darting quickly away. Mick's eyes widened. "You gave her your password?" he laughed.

"Not on purpose," Josef defended himself.

"I don't even want to know." Mick told him honestly shaking his head.

"And I can't let this happen." Josef voice rose in volume, indignant. Mick could not seem to wipe the grin from his face and was having trouble stifling another laugh. But seeing as Josef was bothered enough by the situation, he decided it was probably in his best interests not to get too carried away with his amusement. He lifted his hand to cover his mouth, and tried to stop smiling.

"On principal alone I can't let her treat me like this," Josef continued. "It'll ruin my reputation."

"So this is just about money?" Mick prodded. "There's no hurt feelings about being stood up?"

Josef closed the still open pocket watch with a sharp snap. "No of course not." His casual response came too quickly to be convincing and he was no longer making eye contact with Mick.

"No of course not," Mick echoed Josef's words with a smirk. Either Josef was distracted enough that Mick's sarcasm was lost on him, or he was choosing to deliberately ignore the gibe.

It was amusing to see Josef this upset over a woman. Mick was well aware that Josef liked to think of himself as quite the ladies' man, with freshies, willing human blood donors, dripping from both arms. The beautiful young women Josef tended to choose were quite often more than happy to engage in activities with Josef that went far beyond his drinking their blood. But he had made it clear to Mick that he made a point of never getting too attached to them. He liked to keep things fun and unattached in the romance department.

He would probably like Mick to think he never got too attached to anyone or anything. In reality though, Mick knew otherwise. He'd lived through far too many freaked out lectures from Josef regarding unnecessary risks Mick had taken. Josef did have people he cared about. Surprisingly, Lola had made it onto that list. Too bad for Josef she apparently didn't have the same regard for him.

"I got the address of where they shipped the silver. It's a storage facility down town," he informed Josef.

"Well, don't forget, she is powerful," Josef warned. "You can't just confront her."

_He's kidding right?_ Mick's forehead furrowed. "Thanks to your once-a-decade booty call, a dangerous vampire now possesses a large quantity of a lethal substance." He gave Josef a smug look. "I kind of have to check it out."

Josef just gave a slight nod of the head. He understood. He didn't look like he liked it, but he understood.

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><p>So Josef asked for my help with his Lola problem. If only it had been as easy as an ex-lover running off with his money. It couldn't just be that simple could it?<p>

I managed to get the address of a storage facility in downtown L.A. where Lola had a large amount of silver delivered. To be clear, she had enough silver to paralyze every vampire in L.A.

Quite a woman Josef's been involved with. He sure can pick them can't he? Right now I'm wishing if he needed female companionship that badly, he'd be content with someone a little less exciting.

But then again, I am the guy that married Coraline so I guess I can't throw stones.

When I arrived at the storage facility I broke in. It appeared deserted and I couldn't sense any beings around, human or vampire. There was however an odor, a really awful stink of decomposition and rot. That couldn't be good.

I followed the smell down the hall to a room. In the center of the room was an old operating table. Tubes of blood were stored in shelves, as if medical experiments had taken place. The stench was overpowering. Along one wall were rows of large blue plastic barrels, the kind you store industrial waste in, turned on their sides and stacked.

I opened one of the containers and was knocked back by the smell. It was so strong that I gagged. Inside the container was the badly burned decomposing body of a dead vampire.

When I recovered sufficiently I looked down at my hands. They were coated in silver. And with that my worst suspicions about Lola were confirmed. Whatever she was doing, she was killing vampires with that silver. Now I just needed to figure out why. What purpose did it serve?

I brought the body to a friend at the morgue to check out. Interesting thing is, the dead vampire had been drained of blood. Now what would Lola want with vampire blood? That's what I needed to find out.

Before I could get out of the morgue though and continue my investigation I was interrupted.

Now let's see, who else could I possibly run into in the morgue? And did I mention it was the middle of the night?

Yes, if you guessed Beth you get a gold star. Now to the more pressing question, what was she doing in the morgue in the middle of the night?

I should probably also point out that I hadn't seen her since she kissed me. So yeah, to say that I was a little lost for words under the circumstances would be an understatement. Not that I had an idea what to say anyway, but being in the morgue was not helping matters.

Lucky for me she broke the ice and started talking. She started telling me about the story she was working on. She had seen a girl, a fashion model, die right in front of her. Appeared to be some sort of drug overdose and Beth was following the story. There had been a microchip implanted in the model's hand. Beth wanted to have the same thing done to her. Apparently it was used to get into an exclusive club VIP room where the model had been partying the night before her death. The microchip wasn't what caught my attention though. What caught my attention was the substance found in the girl's blood that caused her death.

Silver.

Apparently vampires weren't the only ones dying from Lola's silver.

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><p>Mick was standing in his apartment's kitchen, holding up a very large syringe to draw saline into it. Beth stood nearby. He could feel her wide eyes riveted on his hands and the device they contained. Tense body language betrayed her obvious discomfort and he could hear her heart beat accelerating as he concentrated on the liquid in the plastic cylinder.<p>

"Don't worry. It's sterile." He reassured her.

"Honestly, I was more worried about the size." Her voice sounded queasy. "Why do you even have that anyway?"

Mick raised his eyes to meet hers. _Do you really want me to answer that? _He didn't speak, doubting that she'd like his explanation and assuming she'd figure out on her own that needles and blood tended to go together.

Beth caught his look and nodded sheepishly. "Oh, right. Stupid question."

"Okay. This may hurt a little bit." He removed the needle from the saline bottle and picked up the microchip, inserting it into the opening at the end of the syringe.

"Okay, but I'll be fine, right? Won't I?" Her tone wobbled in question as if she wasn't so sure about the fine part.

"Let's hope."

Beth's eyes had fixed on the syringe and her nose wrinkled in disgust. She darted her gaze away to concentrate a spot in the distance, avoiding looking at either him or the needle any further. He reached out and took her hand, studying it for safe place to insert the microchip and finally decided on a spot between her thumb and forefinger.

Part of him was beginning to wonder why he'd agreed to this scheme, but he knew if he didn't help her she'd just figure out a different way to get the whole operation done. He'd thought of telling her he could investigate the club without her, but he knew how well that idea would go over. The answer… it wouldn't. Trying to tell Beth what to do was kind of pointless. Hell, asking her to please do what you wanted could be equally useless if she disagreed with you.

"By the way, the, uh, the whole kiss thing?" She stammered the question sounding uncomfortable.

His gaze lifted again to look at her and he momentarily stopped what he was doing.

_I guess it was inevitable you'd mention that._

Alright, yes, so he'd known she'd say something about it eventually. He tried to remind himself that one impulsive kiss on her part, or two rather, did not mean there was anything more behind it. And even if there was… yeah, no… it just couldn't happen.

He was telling himself all this in an effort to stay cool and play it off. Unfortunately he could still feel a smile wanting to tug at the corners of his mouth at the warmth of the memory.

"Yeah, the kiss," he echoed. Her eyes shifted to look at him expectantly and he stared back at her, searching for the right words. "I was thinking that maybe that was like an accident."

"Oh, okay." Judging by her quick reply, he thought she been caught off guard and wasn't sure how to react. He gave her a slight smile.

She turned her head away again. "Tell me when," she said grimacing.

He hurried to give her the shot before she had more time to think about it. "All done," he told her. She looked back at him in surprise. He placed a cotton ball over the injection site and instructed her to keep pressure on it.

"So I want to go with you, to Club Valis."

Beth's attention was now focused on studying the injection site in her hand. "Oh, I'll be okay," she responded in a casual tone.

_Right, I don't think so. If there's any chance Lola is at that club, you're not going alone._

It occurred to Mick that he shouldn't be looking for excuses to be near Beth right now, and definitely not at a night club. But still, after Josef's warning about how dangerous Lola could be, Mick couldn't let Beth get anywhere near Lola without his protection, especially if she was investigating the source of the silver.

"I'm actually looking for someone," he explained. "The silver makes me think that maybe she's there."

That got a reaction. "She?" Beth's eyebrows raised in curiosity.

Was that jealousy?

She told him she'd meet him at the club in a few hours and left his apartment.

* * *

><p>A good while later Mick found himself standing outside Club Valis, leaning against the side of the building. Behind him the area near the club entrance was crowded with what he assumed was a pretty typical assortment of people for the place, all dressed to impress. The door was roped off with a bouncer controlling admission.<p>

His attention was quickly drawn across the street to the beautiful blond woman making her way toward the club. Dressed in an extremely revealing black dress with a red belt and red heels, she was a total knockout. His heart felt like it dropped through the floor… Beth.

He'd been trying so hard to hide his feelings from her, especially since she had kissed him. He wondered if she was aware of how difficult she was making it for him to continue doing just that. Right now, considering how she looked, he was having trouble remembering why her wanting to kiss him had been a bad thing. Her eyes met his, enigmatic, as he watched her.

She stopped in front of him and proceeded to run her eyes up and down with a bemused expression. "I can't believe this double standard," she accused him. "I had to spend two hours getting myself up to club admissionablity, and you are just wearing the same thing you always wear."

"Well yes, perpetual coolness is the vampire's curse," he replied with mock seriousness. She let out a laugh and he smirked back at her. "Where's this V.I.P. Room?"

"Upstairs, in the back." She nodded over her shoulder to an alleyway at the side of the building.

"Good." He started to walk in the direction she had indicated but Beth grabbed his arm to stop him.

She moved closer and stood on tip toe to speak quietly in his ear. "You're going to do that vampire jumping thing, aren't you?"

"I don't have a chip," he defended himself. In truth he would have preferred to use the front door and not risk attracting notice. Really, he would have preferred not to let her out of his sight, if that was an option, but it wasn't.

"Just being human is so lame." She joked sarcastically, wrinkling her nose.

"I know," he couldn't help teasing her with a grin, "but you wear it well."

"I'll see you inside." She turned to go into the club, shooting a quick look in his direction as she went, leaving him alone outside.

After she was gone, he found the back of the building and an open window. He waited a few minutes until the few people standing around were facing away, and he quickly and silently sprang upwards and through the window. He landed lightly on his feet just inside.

It took only a moment for him to get his bearings. The club was dark with flashing multicolored strobe lights. The music was loud, but a little less so up in the VIP room than downstairs on the club floor he imagined. The light level and sound would give him an advantage over any human in the room. Unfortunately Lola would be similarly adept at seeing in the dark and hearing over the music. He hadn't forgotten that Beth might be up here with what he imagined to be an extremely dangerous, not to mention powerful, vampire if he was to believe Josef's description.

If Lola was at the club tonight, he hoped that he'd managed to make it into the VIP room before she could spot Beth. He inhaled through his nose and focused his hearing for Beth's voice. He located her, but his fears were swiftly realized.

"I'm going to wait for my friend." Beth's was telling someone. She sounded nervous.

_Damn! _Lola was already harassing her.

He darted across the room to join Beth, hoping to draw Lola's attention away. "Sorry I'm late," he interrupted, fixing his eyes on Lola.

Lola was even more beautiful in person than in the photograph he'd seen. She wore a floor length black evening gown with expensive jewelry and dark red lipstick. From her scent alone he could tell she was not merely a vampire, but had been around a long time, longer than Josef.

She turned her gaze to meet Mick's stare without missing a beat. His first thought was that she reminded him of a jaguar, coolly appraising to determine if he was either an opponent or just prey. Clearly however, she was already confident that she could easily kill Beth, and would probably barely pause in doing so. He had to get her focus elsewhere.

"You must be Lola."

"And you are?" Her inquiry was deceptively pleasant enough, her demeanor unruffled.

"We have a mutual friend," he informed her. "He's been worried about you."

Lola's features and tenor took on a decidedly chillier cast. "If it's the friend of I'm thinking of, he's not worried trust me." Lola's tone made it clear she was both aware of Josef anger and also that this detail didn't concern her much. Not many humans or vampires were in a position to be so flippant about Josef's wrath. With his money and power normally came quite a level of respect. Lola however appeared to be in a class beyond all that.

_Sorry Josef, looks like I'm not going to be much help with this particular relationship of yours. It's doomed._

Lola's eyes shifted and she turned back to Beth. "This little thing here helping you track me down?" Her voice lilted and one corner of her mouth twisted up.

"She's got nothing to do with this." Mick could hear his words coming too fast and sounding too urgent as he snapped at Lola and tried to divert her away from Beth. But it was already too late, Lola's heightened senses, not to mention her instincts, had already picked up on his fears.

"Oh I think she does." Lola disagreed, pursing her lips in a pout. "Your friend and I have something in common, you can see that can't you?" This last part she directed at Beth.

Fortunate or not, Mick thought Beth was smart enough to have figured out on her own that Lola was a vampire. For the moment she stayed quiet and motionless, avoiding Lola's eyes but denying Lola the satisfaction of a shocked cowering human. She stood her ground, barely reacting to Lola's taunts. Still though, he could sense that she was afraid.

"And you two, don't tell me, just friends." Lola shot Mick a look with one eyebrow raised, her voice dripping with suggestion.

"Leave her alone," Mick warned, irritated.

But Lola would do no such thing and ignored him. She was on a roll, just getting warmed up. She started slowly circling behind Beth, predatory, speaking in a seductive but menacing cadence.

"He lets you know what we are, then leaves you on the edge of our world looking in," she purred. "Don't you want to do more than just look?"

_What the hell is she talking about?_ His eyes flashed down to the small glass vile filled with some unknown substance that Beth held in her hands. "What is that?"

"It's what she came here for." Lola answered him but continued to hold her penetrating stare on Beth's face.

"It's, uh, Black Crystal," Beth stammered to explain further.

"Well, you found it. You should go." He tried to impart a sense of urgency in his voice and willed Beth to just this once do as he asked.

Before Beth had a chance to answer him Lola resumed speaking, still hovering dangerously close to Beth. "He cares about you, but he hasn't turned you."

Beth's eyes flicked nervously over to Lola.

"No one's turning anyone!" Mick snarled at Lola. _I swear to God, I don't care what Josef said, if you don't get away from her…_ He didn't finish the thought because Beth quickly added that she didn't want to be turned.

Lola almost smiled. It seemed that she was enjoying the torment she was causing. She was only talking, but just like any predator she was going in for the kill. "You say that now, you're young." She was still speaking to Beth in a low, provocative voice. "But in a year or two when he stops coming around and you look in the mirror…"

_That's not going to happen._

Still though, he could see Lola's words hit their target as Beth's gaze reflexively moved to his face, wavering with doubt.

Lola hadn't stopped her train of thought. "I know you've looked at him and wondered… what does it feel like, to move through the night so powerful that nothing can touch you?"

He gritted his teeth together trying to get a handle on the anger that was rising through him.

"I can give you that," Lola told Beth.

"I said to leave her alone!" He growled, louder this time, and took a step in Lola's direction. He didn't much care right now how powerful she was supposed to be, if she thought she could threaten to turn Beth, she'd have to get through him first.

"Without turning you," Lola added disregarding Mick. Her face was only inches from Beth's now. Beth stared back at her, silently. "Taste it, just once and you'll see."

Suddenly a commotion of noise reached them from downstairs. It was police on a bullhorn. The club was being raided.

Everything around them erupted in chaos. Club patrons started running for the exits.

As he spun towards the downstairs, in the direction of the police, he heard Lola's voice leaving a parting shot in Beth's ear. "Remember darling, half the world is night."

When he turned back around she was gone.

He didn't have much time to process her disappearance. At precisely that moment Lieutenant Carl Davis entered the VIP area. Following close on Davis's heels was Beth's boyfriend Josh. Apparently he was the representative from the D.A.'s office that was handling this raid. Angry didn't even begin to describe the look on Josh's face when he spotted Beth. Horrified and disbelieving was more like it.

After being manhandled and patted down, Mick was pushed to a far corner of the room to be questioned by Davis. Mick tried but he was only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of Beth, her head turned over her shoulder to look at him, as Josh herded her down the stairs and out of the VIP area.

* * *

><p>When Josef first told me about Lola, I admit, I was amused. I mean anyone who could fluster and outplay Josef, that's impressive. The purchase of the silver was suspicious, that much is true. My concern was raised a few degrees. And when I found out that both vampires and humans are dying because of her activities, I was out right angry.<p>

But that was all before she decided to screw with Beth's head. Words cannot describe how I feel about Lola right now.

Josef came by my apartment and I let him take a look at the vile of so called black crystal that I'd taken from the club. He was, needless to say, a bit shocked to realize that the drug itself is vampire blood. Lola has been draining vampires and selling their blood to humans to get them high.

Or as she told Beth, to give them a taste of what it's like to be us, a vampire. Apparently there are plenty of humans that would love to try out the feeling of being a vampire. Not that they realized what the feeling was.

So now I understood the idea that Lola had planted in Beth's head. I knew what Lola meant when she told Beth she could experience what it felt like to be a vampire without being turned.

Josef pulled my attention back to the more immediate problem of Lola. He wanted me to promise him I'd take care of her before the cops catch up to her and she exposed our community. I told him that I was not going to let that happen.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on his apartment door and Mick headed toward the entryway. He had started to ask Josef what he'd forgotten when the door swung open. He froze when he realized that Josef was not the person standing there. It was Beth.<p>

His stomach did a flip. _What is she doing here now? _So much for his theory that Josh would keep her out of trouble tonight.

She was leaning one hand against the door jamb, her head cocked at an angle. There was something about the light in her eyes and the slight smile that touched her mouth, the way she was watching him.

"Hey, can I come in?" she asked. Her voice was different. Her whole demeanor was different.

"Yeah, of course." He replied without a second thought and continued to stare at her bewildered.

He went to shut the apartment front door behind her. He was desperately trying to come up with reasons why she would want to trek across the city in the middle of the night to see him. It was probably because of this preoccupation that it took him a few moments longer to register her appearance. She was wearing a red overcoat that he'd never seen before, and as she crossed the room away from him she unbelted the coat and took it off.

_Hello!_ He almost did a double take. He'd thought the dress she'd worn to the club was impressive, but that was absolutely nothing compared to what she was wearing now. Of course what she was wearing now didn't seem to qualify as a dress, so much as a black slip. His brain was pinwheeling trying to catch up with what was happening.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, confused and attempting to get a foothold on her behavior.

"Everything's great," she drawled. "I feel fine." She pronounced each word slowly, giving him the impression that she was most likely the opposite of his definition of fine. Granted he was guessing based on her behavior that she felt pretty good, but still he knew he shouldn't be happy about it.

"I walked all the way here," she informed him.

_In L.A.? No one walks anywhere in L.A._ "Why?" he asked, still not understanding.

She pivoted around so that she was facing him. There was no mistaking her salacious look. "I wanted to feel the night."

_Wanted to what again?_ There was a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Did you take some of that drug?" Not that he needed her to answer, he'd already figured it out.

"It was research for my story." Her voice was almost sing song. "It tasted really weird."

_Right, research, sure it was._ He said a silent swear at Lola for daring her to taste that stuff. "Yeah, that's because it's vampire blood."

He wasn't used to the provocative way she was watching him. He was still a good distance away from her and she began to walk towards him, her hips swaying slightly as she moved. He tried to keep his gaze neutral and on her face, but it wasn't easy. _Please don't come over here, _he prayed.

No such luck. She stopped right in front of him, standing uncomfortably close. The corner of her mouth curled up. "Do you feel like this all the time?" And he had thought her fake escort voice was hot, that voice had nothing on the one she was using right now.

"I don't know," he answered her truthfully. "I doubt it." Judging by her behavior what she was feeling wasn't just vampiric. He was guessing there were other motivating factors here. Motivations that he was desperately trying to keep in check himself. He couldn't pull his eyes away from her face. His blood was racing in his veins. It felt like he couldn't breathe.

"I feel everything," she continued in the same seductive voice. "When I was walking, the breeze felt like individual molecules brushing against my skin." With these last words she leaned forward and pressed her torso against his body. He sucked in a sharp breath as a bolt of electricity shot through him from his head to his toes.

_Okay, not a good idea. Need to get away. _He quickly stepped back, avoiding her eye contact and moving to the other side of the room, trying to put distance between them, but she was following.

"I felt people in their houses. I could feel their lives."

She came up close behind him and softly slid her hand across his chest. He could feel her body heat radiating into him and tried to ignore that her touch felt amazing.

"Can you do that? Do you feel me? Or is it more of a… a scent?" She wrapped her fingers around the collar of his shirt and tugged gently, spinning him around to face her.

Yes, in fact her scent right now was more than a little distracting, but she did not need to know this. He couldn't help it. He got caught staring down into her magnetic eyes. He was struggling to remind himself that he shouldn't be reacting to the way she was dressed or the sultry tone to her voice and the proximity of her body to his own. Unfortunately his brain was only shouting into a storm and it was being drowned out. Her hair, her face, her skin…. She was so beautiful.

"You have no idea what you're doing," he managed to tell her with difficulty.

But she was beyond listening to him and kept speaking. "I feel close to everything, to you." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her fingertips lightly against his skin. "There's no space between us." Her eyes were still locked on his own. With her last words she leaned up to kiss him.

_No... can't do this!_ With a jerk he pulled his head back, away from her. "Hey, there's space," he protested. "There's space."

She was not going to be deterred so easily. "You saved me twice. There are no barriers between us," she argued.

Mick shook his head. "You just think there aren't." He tried to convince her to listen to him but it wasn't working. "This is the drug. It's not you."

"No, no, no, shhh." She raised one finger and placed it on his mouth. "This is me. I just didn't know it." Her finger traced softly down his lips. "And I like it."

The gesture was sensual. She was so unbelievably sexy. He was lost in the moment. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do so much more than kiss her. "I want to be close to you." Her voice was a whisper, her mouth only inches from his own. He gave in to his desire and tilted his head down to meet her.

She stepped back out of his reach. He was caught up in how much he wanted to be with her.

"Come on, Mick. Join me." She smiled at him.

It sounded so simple. She was so tempting.

As he watched, she crossed to the stairs that led up to the second level of his apartment. She kept her eyes on his face as she ascended the stairs. He didn't move as she climbed, just watched her.

Images flashed through his mind. Images of his hands running over her smooth skin, the feeling of his mouth on her body, kissing her, holding her, touching her.

He walked over to the stairs and looked up to the second level. She was already out of his line of sight. He hesitated for a moment before bounding up the stairs.

When he found her, she was just inside the door to the bathroom. He realized that she had never been upstairs and she didn't know where she was going. She turned to face him, leaning to rest her back against the door jamb. Her eyes were still on his, sparkling with desire.

He stopped in front of her. The pictures conjured by his active imagination were still with him. He held out his hand. Her mouth curved up and she took his hand, slipping her fingers into his. Slowly he pulled her against him. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, and he slid his hands around her waist, enjoying the chance to touch her. She looked up at him expectantly, but he moved too quickly for her, and pressed his face into her hair.

Her mouth was close to his neck and she gave it a soft kiss. His insides tightened as her lips brushed his skin.

He shook his head a little. _No, we can't, not like this._

He pulled back from her just enough to lean down and pull off her shoes. She didn't protest. Once that was accomplished he slipped his right arm under her knees and swept her off her feet and up into his arms. He carried her into the bathroom, toward the shower. She turned her face into his shoulder. He could hear her pulse racing. His own veins felt like they were roaring and his entire body was tingling with shooting sparks of energy.

He walked with her into the shower and placed her back on her feet. She was holding on to him tightly with one arm and her face was turned up to his. He met her eyes.

"I want to be with you Mick." Her eyes didn't leave his face.

He wanted her, he did, but she meant too much to risk losing her.

"Turn me Mick."

His guts churned in horror and it felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Never, that's the last thing he would ever do to her.

He swallowed and closed his eyes, blocking out her gaze. He rotated her around in his arms, so that she was facing away from him. Still supporting her with his left arm, he reached out his right hand and turned on the shower, full blast and cold. She whimpered as the cold water hit them. He wrapped his right arm around her again and held her close. Her head tipped back against his shoulder as the water ran over them.

"It's the drug," he told her.

"Turn me." She squirmed in his arms, pleading. "Turn me. Do it!"

He squeezed his arms around her and swiveled his head away from her, out of her reach. She had no idea what she was asking him, or how much it hurt to hear her say it. "No, Beth."

"Do it," she said again, emphatic

"It's just the drug," he repeated. He needed to believe it was just the drug.

After a time that felt like forever, she grew still in his arms.

He continued to hold her tightly. It felt good to have her safely resting in his embrace. Her pulse had slowed and he thought she'd passed out. _Thank God._

He tipped his face down and rested his forehead against the top of her head. _Don't ever ask me that again_ he thought. His conflicting emotions were pulling him apart. He was still reeling, trying to process what had happened in the last hour. His heart cramped in his chest and his entire body felt drained of energy. Beth asking him to condemn her to this life, hiding in the dark and dependent on the blood of humans to survive… the thought hurt more than he could fathom.

But another part of him just wanted to be with her, wanted it so badly. He didn't want to be strong and avoid her advances. He wanted to let go, give in and be with her, without fear. If she wanted to be with him, and he was still trying to wrap his brain around that idea itself, there had to be another way, a way without his turning her.

He felt a shiver run through her and he was pulled out of his painful thoughts. The cold felt good to him, but it was getting to be too much for her. Taking care to make sure her body was still supported by his left arm, he reached out and shut off the water with his right hand.

He raised his head and looked around the bathroom. Now what was he going to do? Beth's shivering started to grow worse. A stab of panic hit him. This drug had killed multiple people, what if it was having a bad effect on Beth? He forced himself to stop and listen to her pulse again. No, it still sounded normal. But he needed to get her out of her wet dress and dried off.

He lifted her up into his arms again and walked out of the shower. Pulling a towel off a hook on the wall, he draped it awkwardly over her, and continued toward his closet. Once he had reached his destination and gone inside, he dropped her feet back down to the floor. She was turned toward him, and he was supporting her by wrapping his arms around her back. Her head was resting on his shoulder.

Her shivering had eased. He looked down. Her face was peaceful and calm. A small smile rose unbidden to his face as he watched her sleep.

_Beth, what the hell are you doing to me? Why did you come here tonight_? He raised his left hand and touched her cheek, trailing his forefinger down to her chin, letting it linger.

With a start he shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He needed to stop this. It wasn't doing him any good.

His hand seized on the towel still draped around her shoulders. He tried to delicately rub the towel over her dress and squeeze some of the moisture out.

It was no good, the dress would have to go.

It occurred to him, that if there was in fact some cosmic force out there in the universe that thought it had a plan for him and Beth, he really wasn't sure if he should go find it and thank it for the last twelve hours of his life, or throttle it. He hadn't decided yet.

His eyes searched the room for some article of clothing in which he could dress her. He grabbed the first shirt he could find, long sleeved with buttons down the front. That would work he guessed.

_Well, here goes nothing. _

He transferred the shirt to the hand that he was still using to hold her up. With the other he went searching for the zipper on the back of her dress. Unfortunately in doing so he caused the towel to fall to the floor. Not off to a good start. He grasped the zipper and started to ease it down.

It was at precisely this moment that the images which had plagued him downstairs popped back into his head. He was very quickly and painfully aware of how her warming body was still pressed against him. He paused for a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath.

_Think of something else, anything else. _

Once the dress was unzipped far enough to reveal most of her back, but stopping short of anything more than he could handle, he lifted first one of her arms, then the other and slid them out of the dress straps. He raised the long sleeved shirt to her shoulders and slipped each arm into it.

What's the plan now? He had reached the point at which he would need to remove the rest of the dress and finish buttoning the shirt, preferably without seeing too much of her body.

It couldn't be helped. He closed his eyes, reached down with his right hand, and pulled forcefully on the hem of her dress. It fell to the floor in a puddle at her feet.

Well at the very least he'd had the good sense not to take off his own shirt yet, because it was the only thing separating him from her bare body.

She was still asleep wasn't she? His left arm was still wrapped around her waist, holding her up. He snuck another look down at her face.

Her eyes fluttered open and caught him watching her. She stared at him intently, silently, clear and focused on his face. She looked sleepy but sober again.

The physical reaction that coursed through him at that moment wasn't desire, but instead a palpable thump in his chest, right where his heart resided. "There's my girl." It slipped quietly from his mouth before he could stop himself.

She smiled shyly and her face flushed. He smiled back.

She started to shiver again and her body trembled against him. He rubbed her back with his right hand, trying to warm her up. She turned her gaze away, breaking his eye contact. "Your girl," she repeated.

_Uh-oh… why did I have to say that?_ It was bad enough in his head, but it certainly didn't need to be in hers. Obviously she had quite a bit going up there in regards to her feelings for him already.

He said a silent prayer that maybe black crystal would have an amnesiac effect and she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning. He shot another quick look down at her. She was barely awake. He laughed gently. "Yep my beautiful, sexy, and above all, sober girl."

She didn't lift her head from his chest and he could barely hear her voice. "So what, you're saying you don't like the girl that black crystal brings out?"

Maybe he should just lie. But he didn't want to lie and evade her right now.

"Yeah, I didn't say that," he told her. "I might like to meet that girl again someday, just without the drugs."

She reached her arms around his waist and tightened her grip. He just held her, afraid to let go.

"Beth?" he said gently.

No answer.

"We've got time to figure it out. Okay?" The statement was as much to convince himself as it was for her benefit.

She nodded her head without looking up, still resting it on his shoulder. "Okay."

Her eyes had drifted shut again and her breathing was moving closer towards sleep.

_No, not yet you don't,_ he thought. _You need to stay with me for a few more minutes and finish putting on this shirt._ He cleared his throat to get her attention. "So I'm going to go ahead and close my eyes and step out into the hallway" he told her. "And you're going to finish getting dressed, alright? Then I'll help you downstairs."

She didn't answer him.

"Beth?" he called her name again.

There was a long pause before she answered him. "Umm, right yeah, about that." Her eyes were still closed.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure if you let go of me right now, I'm going to fall down."

_Damn it._ This was a problem.

He shook his head. Nothing was proving to be easy tonight. "Okay, I'll hold you up," he said. "But do you think you can you manage to turn around?"

"Mm- hmm," she nodded.

He loosened his grip on her waist with his left arm. She picked up first her left foot then her right and pulled them out of the dress, kicking it away.

So she had in fact noticed that she was half naked in front of him, but apparently it wasn't registering enough for her to take as much action as he'd prefer.

She wobbled on her feet, but pulled away from him and spun around slowly. When she was facing away she collapsed into him again, her back pressed against his chest. This had the unfortunate effect of leaving his hand resting now on the exposed skin of her bare stomach.

_Think of something else, anything else._

The unbuttoned shirt still hung open leaving a revealing view. _Don't look down, don't look down,_ he silently commanded himself.

He sneaked a look down. His stomach flipped and his breath caught. Pale skin, a vivid image of his mouth on that skin, kissing it, flashed through his brain. He jerked his gaze back up. This was not helping.

"Beth, are you still awake?"

No answer.

He made a decision. Enough already. The buttons would wait. Still supporting her now limp body against him, he pulled her shirt closed with one hand. He then reached down under her knees and lifted her up into his arms. He maneuvered his way out of the closet and down the hall to the stairs.

Once down stairs he gently placed her on the couch. One by one he closed each button, covering her up. Her breathing was deep and rhythmic. This time she really was asleep.

He sat on the floor next to the couch, watching her, listening to her heart beat. After a few minutes, he leaned an elbow on the couch next to her and raised his hand to his face. He closed his eyes and rested them against the palm of his hand.

The memory of the evening's events kept repeating in his head.

Eventually, he dropped his hand from his face and opened his eyes to look at her. She had come here. Whatever that drug had done to her, she hadn't gone looking for Josh. She had come looking for Mick because she wanted to be with him.

On overwhelming flood of simultaneous fear and joy swept over him. He stood up, and left her sleeping on the couch to go upstairs.

* * *

><p>So one of the interesting aspects of living as long as I have is some memorable evenings. You don't get to be 85 years old without a few of those. Some of those nights I'd like to forget. And then there are others that I know I never will.<p>

Last night was one of those nights that I'm quite certain will stay with me a long time.

Was it torture to have her so close, so within reach, and still be forced to refuse her? Okay, yes, I wouldn't be honest if I said otherwise. But still knowing that she came to me…. she wants to be with me… it's hard not to hope that there is some way we can figure this out, a way to be together.

A way without my turning her.

I was in the kitchen this morning when I heard her waking up. She'd spent the night on my couch. Quite a different girl today than the one that walked through my door last night.

I asked her how much she remembered about last night. What answer did I want to hear really? From a rational, practical standpoint, it would be better if she said the drug had knocked out her memory and she had forgotten everything she'd said or done.

Initially she answered that no, she didn't remember. But she quickly changed her answer to yes.

Yeah, I'm not being rational or practical. It made me feel good to know that she remembered.

She told me a little of how the drug made her feel. She said that the drug made her feel invincible, like she was the hottest thing on the planet and no one could resist her.

I've got news for her, at least in my mind she was the hottest thing on the planet, and resisting her was unbelievably difficult. For now though I'm keeping that information to myself.

I couldn't let her go on thinking however, that those highs were the only part of vampire existence. Like I said before, there's no such thing as trying out being a vampire. Taking black crystal doesn't give you any of those lows.

At first she couldn't understand what the downside could entail, so I told her. I told her about how much I hated the scrounging, the hiding. I miss so many things, the sun for one, and food for another. I didn't tell her that the opportunity to love her and be with her, without all these complications and fears, that loss makes me sad too.

I told her that I've heard it gets easier the longer you live, but I hope that's not true. I don't want to forget what it's like to be human. Down that path, the loss of my humanity, leads the way to darkness. I know because I'd already started on that road. Thankfully a little blond girl helped lead me back toward the light.

With a shake of the head, she told me that she needed to leave me. She had apologies to make. I watched her climb my stairs with a smile, remembering how it felt to watch her climb them last night.

* * *

><p>After I drove Beth home, I needed to get back to the business of Lola. Late in the afternoon I got a phone call from Beth. She had gone to Josh's office and found out that the police were going to raid Lola's warehouse. Beth gave me the address so I could get there first.<p>

What I found when I got there was repulsive. Rows of tanks filled with water and silver. Vampires paralyzed in the tanks, their blood being drained. Lola was not just killing these vampires, they were being tortured for her gain.

I wasn't in the warehouse long before Lola confronted me. She made it clear that she had no interest living by the human code of morals that I do. Or that she thinks Josef does for that matter. She saw herself as above all that. The pain and suffering of a few vampires didn't concern her.

But for all of Lola's sermonizing about her superiority to me, it didn't do her much good in the end. Josef may have thought she was all powerful, but perhaps he underestimated me. Then again, anger is a powerful motivator and there are plenty of reasons to be angry at Lola. We fought, but if she thought my humanity was my weakness, her overconfidence was her weakness. I left her dropped in a tank of her own silver, before blowing up her warehouse. I wish I could have saved the vampires she was torturing, but there was too much silver in their system to be helped.

* * *

><p>Mick was sitting in his apartment, pouring scotch into a glass. Josef was standing nearby, staring at him concerned.<p>

Mick's encounter with Lola had bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He couldn't seem to get over how one woman could be so completely evil, capable of inflicting pain on so many of her own kind without any guilt or remorse. She'd been so confident in her invincibility as a vampire and because of it thought she could do whatever she wanted. He wondered briefly what she'd been like before she'd been turned. Was it becoming a vampire and the years of life that had made her this way, or had she been broken even before as a human?

"The warehouse is torched," he told Josef with looking at him. "Everything's been taken care of."

"But what about..." Josef began.

Mick cut him off. "She's dead." He took a long swig of his drink. The liquid burned down his throat, but it felt good.

After a moment Josef exhaled a breath, trying to compose himself Mick thought.

"Well, you know, Lola never told me exactly how old she was, but you know how women are."

There was no mistaking the tone to Josef's voice… pain. Despite everything Lola had done, losing her had hurt him.

"She was at least 500 years old," Josef finished.

Mick shot Josef a look of amazement. "500?" he asked.

"Yeah," Josef replied sadly.

"Wow," Mick exclaimed quietly. "Imagine everything she must have seen. All the history."

They sat without speaking for a moment, each lost in their thoughts. "You know," Mick looked at Josef again, "Lola said she thought you and I were alike."

"Alike?" Josef gave a short, soft chuckle of disbelief. "You and me?"

"Yeah," Mick nodded. "Self-righteous, following human rules and laws, moral principles, that kind of thing."

Josef shifted uncomfortably and avoided Mick's eye contact.

Mick laughed under his breath. Maybe Lola was right, but Josef didn't need to hear that right now. "But don't worry," Mick reassured him. Josef met his gaze. "She was wrong. You're a hundred percent vampire."

"Well, you know, when you lived as long as Lola, it tricks you into thinking you're above it all. That you really are immortal."

Mick let out a short bitter puff of breath. "Yeah. Then it ends."

L_et that be a lesson to us all… no matter how long we live, none of us is going to be here forever._

Mick finished his drink in one swallow, and grabbed the bottle to pour another. As he got up, he placed the drink in front of Josef, briefly laying his hand on Josef's shoulder sympathetically before he walked away.

* * *

><p>How do you think trying out being a vampire would change you? See that's the other part of being a vampire no one considers. Loss. The longer you live, the more you lose. Of everything and everyone.<p>

And I can't lose Beth.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: The following is an adaptation of episode 6, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note:** Thanks so much to all who have left reviews. You have no idea how much it means to me to get the encouragement to keep going. Sorry this chapter is long over due. Summer intervened and I have much less free time than I will in September. I also took a few weeks off to finish my Hawaii 5-0 story, Thread Between Us, so just another plug to take a look at that if you have any interest.

As always, would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter.

Thanks!

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><p>So I'm going to go ahead and assume that you remember my last letter, the one about the tall, dark, handsome man that saved my life?<p>

The tall, dark, handsome…vampire that saved my life.

Come on, you did know those first three words never come without a catch, right?

If you weren't happy with me after the last letter, you're definitely going to be less than pleased after you read this one. But since you haven't shown up on my doorstep to pack me off to the funny farm I'm going to assume you have some level of trust in me.

Please try very hard to remember that trust as you keep reading.

As always seems to be the case, my recent problems began while I was reporting a story. I started off covering a fashion designer, not my favorite area, but I ended up witnessing the drug overdose of a model. She died during the photo shoot while I was standing right there and as my camera man was filming. The girl's death alone however wasn't the only reason I felt compelled to follow the case. It turns out that Josh was also investigating this drug for the D.A.'s office. He actually asked me to _not_ pursue the story.

Big mistake. Asking me not to investigate only throws gasoline on the fire. We can get into the details about how I feel about Josh ordering me off a story later. Needless to say he was not my favorite person at that moment.

So would you believe that in the course of investigating the drug I ran into Mick? Of course you would because it seems to keep happening. He was tracking his own case which also led back to the drug. Hey, before you say it, I don't actively plot ways to bump into him.

I don't! Really!

Nonetheless, I ended up needing to go to a particular club to get my hands on the drug, and Mick went with me following his investigation.

Yes, I admit that in order to gain admission to the club a certain level of dress was required, a low cut dress with a short skirt to be specific. Mick seeing me in that outfit was not intentional, and I did try to tell him not to come with me. Well, at least it wasn't entirely intentional. If only his seeing me in the revealing outfit I wore to the club was where the night ended, but sadly that's not the case.

Stay with me and I'll explain more in a minute.

Besides, it shouldn't matter that he saw me in that dress right? I did at least try to ask him about the whole kiss thing. You do remember what I told you about the last time I saw him, when I kissed him… twice... don't you? Apparently according to him that was an accident.

Ahem… really…? How exactly did I accidently kiss him? And what does that say about his feelings?

But I digress. I was at the club trying to get my hands on the mystery drug and I eventually found what I was looking for. They were calling it Black Crystal and I had a vial of it in my hands. Unfortunately I also ran right into the problem that Mick had been looking for… the drug's manufacturer, Lola.

Lola, as I later learned, is a very old vampire.

Did I mention that she's a very old, and also very attractive vampire?

I guess I was stupid enough to be lulled into a false sense of security by spending so much time with Mick. Not to mention that I've also met his friend Josef… yes, another vampire… and felt no real threat from him. Now Josef did give me the distinct impression that if I were alone with him I wouldn't be entirely safe, if it weren't for his friendship with Mick. But I thought Josef's interest lay somewhere between seduction and snack, not actual potential harm.

Don't get me wrong, I know that both Mick, and I assume Josef, could be extremely lethal if they need to be. Hell, in Mick's case I've witnessed him in action. When Mick was stranded in the desert I watched him snap a man's neck with his bare hands. But in every case where I've seen Mick in action it was to protect someone, to stop someone dangerous.

Being near Lola however, even in a crowded room, I instantly felt threatened. It was like being in the presence of a pure predator. There was no trace of lingering humanity in her. Not in her walk, the way she prowled across the room, not in her face and its cold, calculating expression, and certainly not in her eyes. I know it sounds like I'm overstating things, but trust me when I say there was something dark flickering in her eyes as she seized on me and sized me up.

I was scared, truly I was, but more than that… part of me was fascinated too. What would it feel like to know you were the most powerful being in the room? Even when Mick showed up, Lola didn't flinch. And she certainly didn't cower. She knew she was in control and he couldn't take her. Maybe part of that was her ego and hubris, but I doubt anyone who challenged her would escape without one hell of a fight.

When I was taken as a little girl, kidnapped from my mother and locked away, I was completely powerless. It didn't matter how scared I was, that I was terrified. It didn't matter that all I wanted was to go home to the safety of my mother. Everything was out of my control, and I could do nothing to get that control back. The person that took me had all the power.

Watching Lola and Mick face off in that club, it was hard not to be a little awed by the power they had in their hands, in their entire bodies. Power that on some level they take for granted because it's always there with them.

It was hard to stand there between them as they metaphorically snarled at each other, and not to want some of that power too.

Which is my way of leading you to the part where you're not going to be happy with me.

While I was standing there, Lola taunted Mick about my presence. Just friends, she mocked him. She said that he cared about me… not sure how I feel about that particular pearl of observation coming from a centuries old vampire that I'm fairly certain was contemplating whether or not to let me live at the time.

She said he cared about me but hadn't turned me. Mick's response to Lola was an angry retort that no one was turning me. Of course he'd never do that to me, certainly not without my asking for it.

I was quick to tell Lola that I don't want to be turned, incidentally.

But what if I could know what it feels like to be one of them, to experience the world as they do, without being turned? The drug in my hand, safely ensconced in a little glass vial, could give me all that. Or according to Lola it would anyway.

What would that power feel like?

I'd love to tell you that I'm not stupid enough to taste that drug. I'd love to tell you that I would never endanger my life by consuming a substance that was causing people to die from overdoses.

I wish I could say all that, but I can't.

Maybe part of me was just feeling rebellious. I didn't tell you how I got out of the club or away from Lola, did I? As I was standing there in between Mick and Lola, police burst through the door downstairs. It was a raid. Which means, you guessed it, Josh walked right in, saw me standing there, wearing that dress and standing next to Mick, in direct opposition to his request that I not pursue the drug story. Josh did drive me home, but it was clear he wasn't happy with me. Not about the drug story, and definitely not about my being with Mick.

At least Mick had offered to go with me to the club while I followed my investigation. Instead of treating me like some child that can be ordered around.

Like I said, I was feeling a little rebellious, a little powerless. Lola was right. I did want to know what it felt like to be them. I took the drug.

I'll pause for a moment till you stop yelling.

Obviously I did live to tell the tale, so I managed not to overdose.

Words can not begin to describe how I felt on that drug. It was unreal. The first thing I became aware of was that all of my senses were heightened. Hearing, smell, touch, everything was alive and vibrating around me.

And I was in control. I felt superhuman, invincible. Whatever I wanted I could just take. Nothing would stop me, no one would say no. The sense of power was breathtaking.

What would I want to take, you ask… yes, well, about that…

The drug had a slight impact on a few other things. There was another sense that bore the brunt, my sense of inhibition. Unlike my other senses, the drug had an inverse effect, I had no inhibitions.

What is the lyric in that Joni Mitchell song? The one about you don't know what you've got till it's gone? The same can apparently said of inhibitions.

I knew what I wanted and I was going to go get it.

I'd love to tell you right now that I ended up at Josh's apartment, but we both know that wasn't where this story was headed.

I walked all the way to Mick's apartment, through L.A. at night, wearing only a tight, revealing black slip, a killer red overcoat, and high heels.

What do you want me to say? I didn't go there to get another kiss, that's for damn sure.

Or at least that's not all I had in mind.

And I just knew, not a doubt, that he wouldn't refuse me, couldn't refuse me. In that moment, I was so certain how he felt about me. How we felt about each other.

When he drank my blood a few weeks ago, I felt like I belonged with him, like we have a connection in some way. When I kissed him last week it was a sweet, romantic impulse. When I took the drug and went to his apartment, this was lust, pure and simple.

I know that I've wanted men before in my life. I'm a normal, hot blooded for lack of a better term, human woman. But I've never played the seductress. Not overtly like this. I honestly wouldn't have thought I had it in me. On that drug, though, I could play the role to the hilt.

You want me to lie to you now and tell you it didn't feel good? I'm not going to lie, in that moment, it felt good. Just his eyes on me alone, the way he was watching me with a faint glow as I crossed the room and later climbed the stairs, the reaction of his body and the way it tensed when I touched him, he wanted me too. I thought I knew it. I was so certain at the time.

Fortunately for me, or unfortunately depending how you look at it, Mick's control of his faculties as a vampire far exceeded my own as they were on that drug.

Nothing happened.

At least the thing you're thinking of, the entire reason I showed up on his doorstep, that didn't happen. But that's not to say I escaped entirely unscathed and with my dignity intact.

Mick had decided that rather than give in to my advances, we'd take a shower together.

Hold it right there, not that type a shower. This was a cold one, fully clothed. I understand he was probably feeling a bit desperate to sober me up, but the result was that we both ended up soaking wet. And for my part, I could no longer change myself into dry clothing.

Interesting aftereffect of that drug, as it wore off I was so weak I could barely stand. I couldn't think straight and was having difficulty staying awake. Mick was forced to help me change out of my dress and… he saw me naked, or at least parts of me naked. This, in my mind, is decidedly worse than his having seen me in either of the two revealing outfits that I had already put myself in that evening.

Did I mention the control of his faculties part? It's impressive actually, either that or he really doesn't feel that way about me… yeah… not ready to contemplate that question yet.

Could we get past where he saw me naked? Cause I'm having some trouble. I don't really know what's worse - my nudity or knowing how amazing it felt to be in his arms. My memory is a little fuzzy on that portion of the night, but I do remember that. The drug was wearing off too, so I can't blame it for my emotional state. Feeling safely wrapped in his arms, his beautiful face near mine, he said something to me. He told me something that made me feel warm and safe, tingly all over.

Which is of course is why I can't remember exactly what it was that he said. And I'm not really any closer to understanding how he feels about me. Serves me right I guess.

So to recap, short version, took a dangerous drug, got high as a pseudo-vampire kite, and threw myself at Mick. And he didn't take me up on it.

Yes, I was ready to crawl into a hole and die the next morning. Thanks for asking.

Alright yes, you're right, I can imagine how much worse it would have been if I'd had to wake up the next morning and we had…. umm… oh God, I don't want to think about it. Kill me now please. How could I embarrass myself quite so badly?

And then there's the other disturbing part, the one where I asked him to turn me. I asked him to turn me several times.

Turn me into a vampire. I asked him to do that.

At the time having what I thought was that power was all that mattered… that and being with him, staying with him… forever staying with him.

Lola did share a few other nuggets of wisdom back at the club that I'm having a little trouble shaking. Things like, what's going to happen when I start to get old and Mick stops coming around? No drug can fix that problem. There's only one solution to that problem, and in the dark of night it was an attractive solution.

Only now in the light of day does it look like insanity.

When I woke up the next morning on Mick's couch and wearing one of his shirts to boot, he was, as always, his normal, sweet, and far too understanding self. I was embarrassed, but not because he did anything to make me feel that I should be if that makes sense. He didn't make me feel bad or as if things were weird between us which was a relief.

He did try to explain to me all the lows of being a vampire, all the things he hates. The drug doesn't make you see any of those things.

I do know the person that the drug turned me into, and I'm still sorting out how I feel about her. Still sorting out how she felt. I haven't come to any conclusions yet.

Actually, there is another solution to the problem of my aging while Mick stays young and attractive, a solution other than his turning me. I could just give up on this crush I have on Mick and stay with Josh. I did make my apologies to Josh that morning. In the end I felt like I owed him that much. I didn't consider him or his feelings in all of this. Not that I gave him the details or extent of my behavior, but at least for impinging on his investigation. Josh forgave me and said he understood.

The drug is off the scene now. Mick was forced to kill Lola and destroy her warehouse. She had been draining and murdering other vampires to make the drug. If that's what she became, so ruthless and cruel, out for no one but herself, how could I ever consider being that? For what purpose, just to feel powerful? Would I eventually become what she was? Could living so long inevitably result in my becoming her? Void of humanity, compassion, love?

I don't want to age and watch Mick leave me behind, to feel his desire for me wane and disappear, if it's even there to begin with, but as tempting as becoming a vampire was that night, right now the thought of being turned is scarier than ever.

Lola did say one last thing to me before she left the club, she said to remember that half the world is night. Question is where do I want to live?


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** The following is an adaptation of episode 7 season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note**: Thanks again to all of you who are reading. Would love to hear your thoughts so please leave a review. This is a revised version of this chapter, reposted on 01/17/14.

* * *

><p>I have said before that one of the hardest things about being a vampire is getting used to loss. My human life was taken away from me. I gave up my family, my friends, my identity to be brought into a new and darker world.<p>

I've never been able to completely walk away from my life before. Many vampires do move on without a look back. Take Josef, he left Europe for the new world, and later he left New York for Los Angeles. I, on the other hand, haven't left the city of my childhood. I still live in L.A. Maybe it's more familiar places than people, but it lets me feel a connection however faded and faint to the part of my life that I lost. I still needed that over the years.

It is double edged sword though. To watch something that you loved and took for granted disappear into memory for example, until the only memory that contains it is your own, it hurts.

Tonight I watched a building burn. It was just an old hotel, built in the twenties. To many people in the city it was another beautiful old relic. And to be clear, if there's one thing Los Angeles doesn't value very much, it's anything old. But sure, someone out there watching the news can remember a time they spent a night as a guest or danced at a wedding reception in the ballroom. For me, I remember my parents taking me out to eat in the hotel restaurant on Sunday after church. My parents are long gone and unfortunately after the fire one more tangible reminder of my life with them, my life before being turned into a vampire, that will be gone too.

There was a time when the comforts of familiar places from my human life were almost not enough to hold me here. They'd become overwhelmed and replaced with the accumulated baggage of too many years of anger, self-loathing, violence and destructive behavior. Everywhere I looked I was haunted by more recent memories from the thirty years after I'd been turned. And those memories were always attached to one face, the cataclysmic force of nature that was my wife… Coraline.

It wasn't until I found, saved, Beth that I gained a new and concrete reason to want to stay in L.A. After that event I was able to put the specter that was Coraline behind me, at least somewhat. I've spent some of those years since then watching Beth from a distance. But I always stood back and kept my distance from her, not thinking it was my place to be in her life. She deserved better. I'm not sure I've changed my mind about that really. She still deserves better than having to deal with the crap that is associated with my world. Even so, she's here now, and after our last nighttime encounter in my apartment, I have good reason to believe she wants to be here. Knowing that gives me more hope for the future than I've had in a long time, cautious hope but something is better than nothing.

Unfortunately as with many good times in the course of my life, just when I think things are beginning to look up, that's when something goes wrong. Over the years, I have gotten somewhat used to huge chunks of my history and my life disappearing forever, and most of them when they're gone, they're gone for good. This wouldn't always be a bad thing either. Those difficult parts of my past, I would happy if they stayed buried. It just doesn't always work that way. It feels particularly unfair this time that my distant past has chosen now to rear its ugly head. Or should I say for _her _to rear her admittedly not so ugly head, even if the beauty of the exterior hides the cold core inside.

I should back up and explain what I mean. I was standing in the crowd of people watching as fire consumed the hotel, helpless to do anything to stop it. Beth was also at the scene, covering the story for Buzzwire and I was grateful to see her. As I stared at the flames eating up one of my few happy memories, my guts churned leaving a familiar hollow void in their wake. That empty sensation proved to be short lived however, soon to be replaced by much more vivid emotions. My gaze swept the assembled collection of people and landed on a familiar face. In seconds the first shock of recognition changed to disbelief and then quickly gave way to alarm. I could have sworn without a doubt I was looking at my ex-wife.

I don't think I even realized what I was doing when I approached her, calling out her name, "Coraline." I was just too stunned. The woman glanced over at me without a flicker of reaction. When she realized I was indeed talking to her, she calmly insisted that I was mistaken. Her name was Morgan and she didn't know me. Beth saw us talking and also quickly joined us. To my surprise, she told me that she already knew Morgan. They worked together at Buzzwire. Morgan was a photographer and tonight she was covering the fire.

Nothing about Morgan's behavior indicated that she was lying. She looked at me, slightly confused but amused, with innocent wide eyes and when she spoke she genuinely sounded like she had no idea who I was or what I was referring to. She even joked that telling her I reminded her of my ex-wife was a really bad pickup line.

Regardless of that though, I could not calm down. Adrenaline continued to course through my system making me feel jumpy and on edge. My mind barreled along at breakneck speed, trying to process the disconnect between how Morgan was behaving and what I was feeling. She could insist all she wanted that I was wrong but, I couldn't shake the eerie feeling that I was looking at someone that I was positive is dead.

As far as Coraline goes, I do have good reason to believe she's dead, being that I'm the one who killed her.

Nominally I killed Coraline twenty-three years ago to protect Beth, whom she'd kidnapped. Coraline had already done so many things throughout our marriage that I found repulsive and she'd often dragged me down to her level. Or at least that's where I laid the blame. I'd never seen her hurt a child though and I wasn't about to let her do it that time, certainly not in some misguided attempt to win me back to her. At the end of the day Coraline forced me to fight her in order to rescue Beth. I staked Coraline through the heart to win the fight. I could have just left her there, paralyzed but alive. Instead I grabbed an oil lantern and tossed it to the floor where it exploded, engulfing the room, and my ex-wife, in flames.

Am I proud of what I did? No, of course I'm not. But there was more to my motivations than just saving Beth. At the end of the day my relationship with Coraline had always been about passion. From the moment I first saw her and she turned to smile at me, I wanted more. She was the woman in the room that every man coveted and she knew it. For some reason that I still don't understand, she chose me. It felt like I didn't just desire her, but I needed her, even before she turned me.

It's hard to describe how far in the opposite direction passion can go when it comes to betrayal. In that moment when I thought a child, Beth, was going to die because of Coraline's feelings for me, I hated her and everything she represented, I didn't have it in me to forgive her and save her too. I left her to die in the fire I started.

Like I said, I had a good reason to believe I'd never see Coraline again. All the more reason, I suppose, to believe that Morgan was in fact who she said she was and that her resemblance to Coraline was purely coincidental. My gut instinct on the other hand continued to scream the opposite.

Morgan said goodbye and went on her way. After she left I asked Beth how long she'd known Morgan. Beth explained it had only been for a few months. They'd met at Buzzwire not too long after Beth came back into my life. Or not long after I let her back into my life, depending how you look at it. Just when my nerves should have been calming down, this information caused them to jump up another few degrees.

It can be said that my nature as a private investigator is to be suspicious. I learned plenty from all those years I spent married to a manipulative liar like Coraline, so I'm not naturally inclined to trust people anymore. But are you honestly going to tell me that a woman who looks exactly like my ex-wife, showed up in Beth's life, only weeks after Beth and I became friends? Because if Morgan were not who she claims to be, if she were in fact Coraline, then my having an interest in another woman, particularly a woman that Coraline put in my life to begin with, is exactly the sort of competition she couldn't resist.

Put another way, to Coraline I'm just a toy in her toy box, and she doesn't share.

* * *

><p>Josef stood on the other side of his office door giving Mick a bemused look. Mick was relieved to find him still there despite the proximity of dawn. He also noted with gratitude that since Josef answered the door himself, he was presumably alone.<p>

"I've got to talk to you." Mick told him, following further inside as Josef retreated down the hall.

With an apparent lack of curiosity or concern Josef kept walking back to his desk. "Well, this better be good. Dawn is in fifteen minutes and I'm about to go home and hit the ice box."

Mick continued, "I saw Coraline last night."

This statement was enough to garner Josef's attention. He stopped and turned back, regarding his friend with a mild expression of surprise. "Coraline? You mean Coraline, Coraline?"

_Is there more than one?_

"Yeah, that Coraline."

Josef appeared to barely consider before responding. "Was she dead?"

"No," Mick answered flatly, ignoring Josef's sarcasm. He walked past Josef to stare out of the large bank of windows that comprised the office wall behind Josef's desk. His entire body felt like it was throbbing with the effort to keep his emotions in check. But he also knew how quickly Josef would ignore his concerns if he didn't stay calm and rational. It was difficult though, considering his brain would not stop replaying every detail of the encounter with Morgan. He kept searching for some discrepancy between Morgan and Coraline to relieve his fears. So far he hadn't found enough to ease the mounting panic in his system.

"Well, then it can't be Coraline." Josef continued. "You killed her, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." _Like I could forget._ "I was at the Franklin fire downtown," Mick explained. "There was this photographer there. She was a dead ringer for Coraline."

_She found me at the scene of a fire for crying out loud Josef! Doesn't that say something?_ But he was afraid to point that out yet, for fear of sound too much like a crazy person with conspiracy theories. Mick gritted his teeth and prayed for Josef to take him seriously.

Josef was apparently not going to be easily convinced. "Well, everybody's got a twin somewhere." Josef's reply was measured and nonchalant.

"It wasn't a twin," Mick shot back at his friend as he turned around to look at him. He could hear his voice rising in frustration. He wanted to make Josef understand. This was real and it was dangerous. Every passing minute he became more sure of it.

"Josef, it was her," he pleaded. "She moved the same. She talked the same." He'd been married to her for over thirty years. If there was anyone who knew her mannerisms it was him.

Josef eyebrows lifted up. "You talked to this person?"

"Yeah," Mick admitted. "Her name is Morgan. She works with Beth." Yet another coincidence that raised uncomfortable alarm bells in Mick's mind.

"And did Beth recognize her as Coraline?"

Mick exhaled a breath. "No," he replied with reluctance.

Josef crossed the room, sinking down into a chair near his desk. "If it really was the woman who kidnapped her as a child, I would think that Beth would have a few opinions about it," he reasoned.

No way, Beth's lack of reaction alone didn't convince Mick of anything. "Beth doesn't remember me from back then and I'm the one who rescued her," he argued. "What do you remember from when you were 4?"

"Well, it was 1603, Mick. It's reasonable to be a little hazy," Josef responded in a dry tone.

Mick shook his head. "Look. Beth has suppressed the whole trauma, okay? Josef, I know this sounds crazy, but you've got to see her."

"And did this Morgan person have a long history of drinking blood?" Josef's eyes met Mick's.

There it was again. Mick's biggest question as well. If she really was Coraline, then how could she be human?

"No," Mick told him quietly. "She's not a vampire. I was close enough to tell."

"Well Mick, if she's not a vampire then she can't be Coraline." Josef's voice was firm and emphatic. Clearly it would take a great deal to convince him that Mick's ex-wife and risen from the dead and had returned to wreak havoc in their lives.

Mick turned and left Josef's office without a further word. Josef could set aside Mick's fears if he chose. Unfortunately Mick didn't feel he could allow himself the same luxury.

* * *

><p>Okay, so Josef wasn't as concerned as I was with Morgan's similarities to Coraline. He probably thought I was having a paranoid over reaction, something to do with my current turmoil over my feelings for Beth.<p>

I can't deny he makes a good point about Morgan being a human. There is one hard and fast rule in the vampire world as far as I'm aware. There is no cure. It should be doubly impossible first for Coraline to have survived the fire where I thought she died, but then on top of that to find a cure and become human again.

Even still, despite knowing all this, I couldn't seem to let go of my suspicions. Of course if Morgan had just gone back to doing her job and I'd never heard from her again maybe eventually I would have been forced to agree with Josef. That isn't what ended up happening.

Instead Morgan showed up on my doorstep the next evening. Beth brought her to my office because Morgan claimed to need my help. She told a story that after she'd returned home last night, someone had broken into her apartment. She'd even fought with the intruder; just enough to scare the guy off and only sustain minor injuries herself. Although according to her, she wasn't the target of the target of the break in. The intruder was after her cameras and escaped with them. She approached Beth today to ask if I could help to retrieve her property.

So basically this woman, Morgan, not only managed to get close to Beth, but had manufactured a way to see me again.

Or on second thought, maybe Josef is right and I am jumping at shadows.

Either way with Beth looking on, confused, I couldn't ignore Morgan even if I wanted to. I agreed to go to Morgan's apartment to investigate the break in, telling myself the whole time that I didn't have any good reason not to do so. And as much as I wanted to take Beth aside and warn her to just stay away from Morgan, that we _both_ should just stay away from her, in truth this was a good chance to investigate my suspicions. We went right away to Morgan's apartment, all three of us.

When we got to her apartment I tried my best to focus on the case at hand, but I had trouble concentrating. I had a hard time being anywhere near Morgan and relaxing. Far from alleviating my fears from yesterday, her resemblance to my ex-wife continued to unsettle me. I kept catching myself being distracted by memories of my life with Coraline.

I have to hand it to Morgan, if she really is my ex-wife, she still knows how to play the game and keep me guessing. Not a flicker of the eyes, not a twitch of the hand would give away that she's treading on familiar ground. From Morgan's behavior you'd think we just met. Maybe we did. But for me, when I'm with Morgan my blood starts racing, it feels like my pulse is hammering in my ears. You'd almost think I'm human again the way I react to her.

After a while I guess Beth also picked up on my strange behavior towards Morgan. The longer we were in Morgan's apartment, poking around and asking questions, the more Beth gave me the distinct impression that she was irritated with me. Not that you could blame her I guess. Beth has helped me with enough investigations to know that something about my behavior on this one wasn't normal.

In my defense, the creepy parallels to Coraline didn't just end with Morgan's physical appearance. First of all, her apartment was decorated in a Mid-Century Modern style, a school of design that was popularized during and often associated with the 1950's. Also just so happens to be the decade during which Coraline and I met and were married. Morgan even went as far as to tell Beth that she had a fifties thing she was "trying to shake." Also, on Morgan's nightstand I found a copy of Remembrance of Things Past, Coraline's favorite book.

Now was all that really just in my head?

The real coup de grace though was the picture. Morgan went to her computer and pulled up the photographs she'd taken at the hotel fire. She had saved them on a USB flash drive that hung around her neck on a chain. It made sense to think that since her cameras were taken, ignoring other more valuable items, maybe the photos were what the thief was after.

If you want to believe everything else in that apartment that reminded me of Coraline was a coincidence, that's fine. It was much harder though to disregard as happenstance one of the photos Morgan had inadvertently taken during the fire. In this shot, when you look closely at an upstairs window you can see a man and a woman struggling. It looks like the man is strangling the woman from behind, "killing her," to use Beth's words.

The picture looks awfully similar to how I fought and killed Coraline all those years ago.

* * *

><p>Mick was once again in Josef's office. He was pacing back and forth across the room while Josef watched him from the comfort of his seat.<p>

One thing he had learned in his life as a vampire was how important it was for him to control his temper. The peculiarities of vampire physiology made anger much more dangerous for everyone and everything around him. Tonight unfortunately, calm was beyond his grasp. Luckily for him, Josef didn't seem overly concerned.

Of course if Josef would just give a little more credence to his theory, then maybe Mick wouldn't be in his current state. Mick continued speaking to Josef as he paced from one side of the office to the other.

"You wouldn't believe these photographs, Josef. It's like outtakes from the night..."

"The night you killed your wife," Josef finished for him

Mick stopped and turned to look at Josef. "You know what, it's like somebody staged this whole thing for me."

"Can you hear yourself right now?" Josef asked.

Mick knew Josef was trying to be the voice of reason, but he was far beyond reason. "No, it's like… it's like Coraline is baiting me with these photos."

Josef's voice rose in volume. "Coraline is dead," he spat out. "You saw her die with your own eyes."

Mick froze looking back at Josef. His chest constricted with pain._ Now I wish I had._

When he could move again he crossed the room and sank down into the chair next to Josef, avoiding his eyes. "I never saw the ashes," he managed to say.

There was a beat of silence before Josef responded. "In the 22 years since she died you never told me that." His voice had dropped back to its normal volume, but it betrayed a seriousness that had previously been missing.

Mick's features contorted in frustration. "I never told anybody that," Mick told him. "I never thought she could possibly survive. I left Coraline trapped in an inferno that night, man!" He was shouting and forced himself to stop. "Just like the woman in these photos," he continued quietly.

"Mick. Look at me." Josef waited for Mick to do as he requested. Eventually Mick looked over and met Josef's eyes. Josef continued, "Coraline did not come back from the undead to exact revenge on you."

"You know how dangerous she was," Mick tried to point out.

"Yes!" Josef cut him off sharply. "I've known her for a century more than you. And she is capable of anything. But not even she could pull off a resurrection."

"No?" Mick shot up from his chair, unable to stay still any longer.

Josef rose from his chair in an attempt to follow Mick. "Coraline drove you crazy the whole time you knew her. Now she's dead and she's still driving you crazy. You need to let her go."

As Mick left Josef's office for the second time in as many days he couldn't help but think that Josef was right, he should let Coraline go. Unfortunately however, in the interest of both his and Beth's safety, he'd have to continue investigating Morgan even if it meant he lost his mind.

* * *

><p>Mick was seated in a chair in the noisy main office area of Buzzwire, the online news magazine where Beth worked. She sat in a similar chair facing him. Partly he'd come to see her at work because he wanted her help investigating Morgan. However, it was also true that she'd been pretty obviously annoyed at him over his odd behavior toward Morgan when they'd last seen each other. He wanted to attempt to do some damage control. And hey, if she came away with the impression that she shouldn't outright trust Morgan, then all the better. He couldn't come out and tell her his suspicions about Coraline. That would generate more difficult questions than he wanted right now, but he'd still like Beth to put a little more distance between herself and Morgan.<p>

"So, tell me more about Morgan," he started.

Beth paused, her eyes on him, a quick look of surprise crossing her face. "Umm..."

As she composed her thoughts she absentmindedly reached out and placed her hand over his where it lay on the desk. The brief tingle of her warm skin on his was startling but felt good at the same time.

He glanced at her hand but just as quickly she pulled it away, perhaps aware of the familiarity of the gesture. Mick had to bite back a smile. He still felt like he was trying to work out his equilibrium in their relationship after the Black Crystal drug incident a few weeks ago. He was relieved Beth wasn't feeling too awkward around him because of it.

"Like, who'd she work for in Chicago?" He pretended not to notice her touch and continued his questions.

"Everybody, she was a stringer," Beth responded.

"But legit stuff?"

Beth ticked off a list of names on her fingers. "She has shot for The Tribune, NewsCorp… I don't know. She's got a reputation for being a kind of gritty crime photographer. We've been running her pictures for a couple of years."

"And you met where?" he wanted to know.

"At a crime scene, kind of like how I met you, actually." Beth answered him then paused. Mick ran his eyes over the room without focusing on anything specific. "Why are you so interested in Morgan?" she asked.

He looked back at her. "Just standard due diligence." That was mostly true at least.

"On a client?" Her voice contained a hint of confusion.

He nodded back at her. "Yeah. Know your client, Private Eye 101."

"Hmm, okay." Beth shifted in her seat and her eyes darted away from him toward the floor. "I'm just not used to being grilled about a girl that you're after, so..."

_She has to be joking?!_

She thought he wanted this information because he was interested in Morgan? "I'm not after her," he hurried to point out. Unfortunately Beth did not appear to be buying his assertions. She still wasn't making eye contact.

"I wouldn't have picked her as your type." She kept the same train of thought as if he hadn't spoken. She obviously intended for her voice to sound breezy and conversational but Mick could hear a sharp edge beneath her words.

_If only you knew…._

"This isn't about types," he insisted.

Her eyes eventually moved back and met his. "Even if it is, it's fine." Her tone still had a light inflection that he didn't in the least bit believe. "It's your business."

He watched her for a long moment puzzling over her behavior in an attempt to understand it. Slowly the realization dawned on him. He tried with difficulty to contain the smile that was threatening to break over his face.

"You're jealous," he pointed out with no small measure of glee. He knew he shouldn't be amused but it was hard not to enjoy her reaction.

Beth fixed him with a silent stare, smiling a little in return. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Okay," he laughed and nodded. _If that's how you want to play it. _Her behavior however said otherwise. He changed the subject back to matters at hand. "Look, I just need some info on Morgan's time in Chicago. Can you look into it and get back to me?"

"Sure," she answered him with a nod of the head. She paused and her face lost its humor. "Are you going to turn her photos in to the police?"

He shook his head. This situation was way too precarious for the police, at least until he knew more. "Not yet," he said. "I'm going to wait and see if I find a body at the hotel first." With that he stood up and left Buzzwire.

* * *

><p>I followed up at the hotel. I wish I could say it looked like a set up and I didn't find anything. The burned corpse of a woman on an upper hotel floor however, was very real. Regardless of the circumstances, Morgan or Coraline, someone did die in that hotel fire.<p>

Fortunately I'd pulled a perfect set of finger prints off of Morgan's front door and they yielded a lead. The probable identity of the camera thief was one Hank Mottola. Hank had a record, racketeering, trafficking in stolen goods. He practically had perfect suspect stamped on his forehead. But there was one issue with Hank from the search of his file, a rather big issue. Hank had supposedly died three weeks _before_ the fire at the hotel.

Okay, so that's interesting… dead humans aren't supposed to be walking around stealing cameras and murdering women. Vampires on the other hand… if Hank were turned into a vampire that would explain why he was walking around after his supposed death. Of course if this were the case, then he must know another vampire right? Hmmm, I wonder who that could be. I've got a few ideas.

Hank's address was in the system, so I went to check out his place. Luckily it was empty, logical since he's supposed to be dead. I broke in and quickly found Morgan's cameras. They weren't even that hard to locate. Imagine that.

After recovering the cameras I took another look at the photographs Morgan had given me from the fire, photos I now know with certainty captured a murder. First I compared the mug shot of Hank from his records to the man in the picture. No doubt about it, it's him. As I sat there staring at the images on the computer monitor I realized there was something else important in a few of the shots, something that I'd missed before, another disturbing echo of Coraline.

I stared at the picture for a long time without moving and my stomach twisted sideways. I felt ill. In Morgan's photograph the woman being murdered has a fleur-de-lis tattoo on her shoulder, exactly like my ex-wife did.

I remember with crystal clarity the first time I saw Coraline's tattoo. That would be because, at the time, she was asking me to unzip her dress so she could go skinny dipping in her pool. Quite a surprise since I'd only met her a few hours earlier.

Like I said, Coraline was always good at unbalancing people… that and seduction.

The night we met I had been playing guitar with my band at a party hosted by Coraline in her Hollywood Hills mansion. Her house was a modern design, surrounded completely with glass walls on the exterior. The crowd at the party was a mix of the right recognizable faces, a who's who of the rich and powerful in Los Angeles. Coraline herself was a mystery. She was strikingly beautiful with dark hair and eyes, pale flawless skin. She sashayed around the party appearing bored, but not disinterested enough to escape her guests. It was hard to take your eyes off of her as she made her way around the patio. She was magnetic.

I guess I'd made up a story in my head to write her off. _Well, sure she's gorgeous, but to be so young and so rich, she has to be a vapid social climber._ She had to be exactly the sort of woman that wouldn't interest me. That was what I was trying to tell myself, right up until she spoke to me. She asked me if the band could play some more exciting music, something that would jolt the crowd, a rhythm and blues song _Aint' That Just Like a Woman_. It was one of my favorites. Add to that her active encouragement to shock her stuffy friends, a concept I found extremely attractive, I was hooked. This was before she asked me to unzip her dress, allowing me much more than a glimpse of her magnificent body, by the way.

In hind sight, it isn't really surprising that I ended up so crazy over her is it?

The photograph of the tattoo on the murdered woman was finally enough to convince Josef to at least take a look at Morgan for himself. He made sure he was visiting me in my office when Morgan came by to pick up her property.

She came to my office and was thrilled to have her cameras back. Just to see her response, I also showed Morgan the death certificate issued for Hank Motolla from before the crimes were committed. For a moment she appeared genuinely perplexed before suggesting that Hank must have faked his own death. I pointed out that maybe Hank had risen from the dead instead. Morgan didn't even miss a beat, tossing off my comment as self-evident that couldn't have happened. Coraline knows all about vampires after all, but Morgan Vincent should be blissfully unaware of them.

What happened next was not, strictly speaking, my idea. Just need to say that up front. My research indicated Hank had been cremated and his ashes interned at Hollywood Forever cemetery. I told Morgan we should take a step back and let the police handle matters from here. After all, she did have her cameras. The police could take care of the murder investigation. But no, Morgan insisted we keep going, all the way to the cemetery to see good old Hank's ashes for ourselves.

* * *

><p>Mick closed the office door behind Morgan, and turned to head back toward his apartment, and the kitchen.<p>

"You were right." Josef admitted after Mick had passed him. "Morgan is a perfect doppelganger for Coraline. She moves like Coraline. She sounds like Coraline."

"She didn't flinch, even when I baited her about coming back from the dead," Mick muttered, indignant, "the nerve."

Mick couldn't deny taking a certain amount of pleasure in Josef's reaction. At least Josef was agreeing that the similarities weren't all in Mick's head. He appeared to be as floored by the resemblance as Mick was, and he'd known Coraline much longer.

"But Mick," Josef continued, "it isn't Coraline. I could smell Morgan in there. She wasn't a vampire. She's a human. And there is no way to assimilate that fact into any conspiracy theory about Coraline coming back."

Mick shook his head, "I know, but…"

"No." Josef stopped him. "There is no buts."

Mick stopped what he was doing to look back at Josef. "Well, what if it is Coraline and she's reversed it?"

"Reversed what?"

_Are you kidding? _Mick couldn't believe how obtuse his friend was being. The answer was so obvious. "You don't even get it, do you?" Mick asked. "What this means."

"It means that you're losing it," Josef replied.

"It means she's found a cure," Mick insisted forcefully.

Josef's eyebrows shot up. "A cure?" he repeated, incredulous. "There is no cure for vampirism Mick!"

Mick could feel the tension building in his body and he clenched his jaw, looking away from Josef. _And you say I'm stubborn._

"And if there was," Josef continued speaking, "I would know about it, and not that I would care. Personally, there is no way I'd ever go back to the mortal coil.

"That's you." Mick told him softly. "I would."

"You see that? Right there," Josef said. Mick looked up and met Josef's eyes again. "That's your entire problem. There is no way to un-become a vampire, Mick."

Mick ignored him. "I think this has to do with Beth. I think Beth is why Coraline has come back now, because she can't stand to see me…"

"With a human? Is that what you were going to say?" Josef asked.

"She can't stand to see me happy."

Josef exhaled a breath. "I appreciate, you know, the unwritten rule that we don't give each other advice and we don't nag."

Josef was watching him, his face somber and his eyes serious, no longer joking or arguing with Mick. "What are you saying?" Mick wanted to know.

"One of these days," Josef told him, "you're going to have to stop hating what you are."

* * *

><p>It was after dark and Mick was seated in his car outside of Morgan's apartment, staring up at it. He was trying to keep his head clear and think rationally but he wasn't succeeding.<p>

Normally being a vampire was an asset emotionally. It was true that when you woke up from being turned you were wild. The rage and bloodlust were all you knew. Over time though, once you learned control, you gained the ability to stay calm and focus in a capacity that humans lacked. Still able to see, hear, feel with clarity, but with everything at a distance, emotions at arm's length. The problem was, once you let go and started to feel again, everything had a way of being magnified.

Mick knew that recently he had been letting his emotional guard down quite a bit. The presence of a particularly attractive blond reporter in his life ensured it kept happening. At first he'd dropped his defenses if not for Beth, then because of her. As a child she had radiated a warmth and innocence that he had wanted to protect. He still did. The desire to keep her safe and the happiness he took from seeing her had stopped him from putting the wall back up over the years, not completely anyway. Now that she was an adult… the feelings involved were a great deal more complicated, not to mention overwhelming.

It had taken so long from the day Coraline had turned him to build up the wall that kept out his emotions. More than twenty years after rescuing Beth it was still tumbling down, brick by brick.

Unfortunately there was still one problem. That coin had two sides. Now he had to deal with both the positive and the negative. Beth amplified so much that felt good in his nature, but Coraline had always intensified everything that was bad. Such had been their relationship even before she'd turned him.

He had loved her, but more than that, he had needed to win her. She would dangle her affection in front of him until he felt drunk with desire. He had to have her, partly because he wanted her, partly because so did every other male in her proximity. To be the man who won the most beautiful woman in the room, the one every other man, every person he'd wager a guess, was jealous of, it felt so damn good. At precisely that moment she would pull her attention away, rejecting him. She left him lost and alone, filled with fury. It made him crazy.

He had taken part in her game for so many years. Felt defeated over and over again, he'd always been one step behind her moves, trying to catch up and losing. Until finally he hadn't won, but he thought he'd left the playing field.

Now, for the first time he had someone in his life that he wanted to be with, someone that made him happy. He was scared too, but first there was hope.

Mick continued to stare up at Morgan's window. He wanted to be wrong about her, about his suspicions. He didn't like the animosity and fear that being near Morgan was already generating in him.

_Is that you Coraline? Trying to lure me back to play again? _

What was he doing? He knew he should go to the cemetery alone to try and verify Hank's status as living or dead. If Morgan was Coraline he was only giving her what she wanted by taking her along. Then again, if she was Coraline, he had a long list of questions for which he needed answers. Starting with why she was back, and following with how she had done it.

He was startled from his thoughts as Morgan exited her front door and approached his car.

She came up to the passenger's side door, opening it and sliding into the seat. She turned to look at him with a quizzical smile. "So were you planning on sitting here and stalking my apartment all night, or were you going to ring the bell?"

"Oh… yeah sorry," he stammered staring at her, briefly flustered by her presence. "Just a little distracted by this case I guess."

_Nice move there buddy, very slick_. Morgan was definitely messing up his concentration, regardless of who she was.

"What you're not used to prowling around cemeteries at night?" She blinked back at him innocently.

He paused for a few beats before answering. "It's not one of my common practices, no."

"Oh well, you're missing out on all the fun then." Her smile widened." "Come on, let's go."

Mick pulled his eyes away from Morgan's face and inhaled a breath through his nose in an effort to clear the uncomfortable sensation that had settled in his chest. "Sure, let's go." He put the car in drive and pulled out, heading in the direction of what he really hoped were Hank Mottola's ashes.

He could feel Morgan's eyes occasionally landing on him as they drove, but he was trying to not give her the satisfaction of looking back. It wasn't easy. Still, she stayed silent for the remainder of the ride. He was grateful for that much.

A short while later they arrived at the gates of the cemetery. As he put the car in park, he thought about his next move. They'd have to get past the guard booth. If Morgan weren't there he would have just jumped over the fence, but he couldn't let her see him.

"God, this whole story is just so weird." Morgan interrupted his thoughts.

_Weird, yeah, that's a colossal understatement_. He looked over at her. "No joke."

"Just like one of those true stories that sound more like fiction."

He continued to watch her face, but she wasn't giving anything away. "Inadvertently catching a murder on camera?" he asked. As if the photographs were the only strange aspect of this case.

"A horrific murder. Burnt alive," she added with her nose wrinkled in disgust. "That I happen to catch at that exact moment?"

Mick again swallowed the spark of discomfort that lit in his body. _She's baiting you, don't give her the satisfaction. _

"What are the chances?" he commented.

"Beth thinks it's the angle we need with her editor."

He looked away from Morgan towards the cemetery gates, suddenly uneasy. "She does, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied and then turned to watch him. "What's the deal with you two, anyway?"

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. It didn't matter who she was, he wasn't going to discuss Beth with her under any circumstance. "There is no deal."

"She likes you," Morgan stated matter-of-factly.

"She has a boyfriend." The words were out of his mouth in a flash, a touch too forcefully. If Morgan was Coraline, he wanted her to believe that there wasn't anything between him and Beth.

But Morgan wasn't one to be easily deterred. "Well, it's there if you want it, trust me," she continued.

_Sure, like it's that simple._

"What about you?" he attempted to distract her.

"Me?" Her voice lilted up in a question. She gave a loud sigh, looking away from him and not answering. Morgan's response sound like it was designed to give him the impression she ambivalent toward him. He told himself that if she really were Coraline, then she was only hurling daggers at him to strike an emotional cord. _Oh you, I don't know that I ever really liked you anyway. _He told himself that he shouldn't care, didn't care if she rejected him.

_Why the hell are you letting her get under your skin and bother you?_ He thought to himself. He tried to ignore the internal pang of irritation that told him it did bother him though, at least on some deep, guilty level.

"Why don't I handle the guards?" she said, changing the subject and began to get out of the car.

He was relieved to see her go. "What are you going do?" he asked.

"I'll think of something," was her vague reply.

With Morgan out of the way, giving the guards her story, he left the car and found a spot to hop over the fence. His nerves were on edge after her questions about Beth. _Why do you want to know Morgan?_ He forced himself to focus.

From the other side of the fence, he made his way across the dark cemetery, thankfully not sensing any other guards nearby, until he reached what he thought was the correct mausoleum. He went inside the small stone building. The walls were lined with rows and rows of small rectangular openings, just large enough for an urn. He could see well enough in the dark, but some of the internments were lit with candles, providing a dim yellow light. He searched the maze of corridors, running his flashlight over the name plates, until he'd located the right spot. His light hit on a small brass plate engraved with the name Hank Mottola. Above the name plate there was a space for an urn, an empty space. Hank's ashes weren't here.

So if Hank were dead, where was his body or his ashes? Did this mean Hank had faked his death? Or did it mean something else?

He really was still hoping it wasn't the something else.

_Time to leave._ Mick spun on his heel and hurried back in the direction of the exit. Despite Morgan's teasing, cemeteries at night were not his idea of fun, vampire aside.

He had almost reached the heavy iron doors, could see the outside through their glass panels, when he froze. The smell in this place was understandably hard to read, so many ashes. It was there though, human. He turned his flashlight to focus on an alcove where the smell was strongest. It was only too late he realized the sound of footsteps were rushing toward him from the other direction, from behind.

He turned his head to face the sound, quite surprised to come face to face with Hank Motolla in the flesh.

_Well, that explains why your ashes aren't here._

Before Mick could react or even think really, Hank raised a crow bar, slamming it across Mick's shoulders. Mick staggered backward under the impact and was knocked to the ground, collapsing flat on his back. He swiftly rolled over to his front and attempted to push himself up to standing, but before he could get up Hank brought the crow bar down again, striking him across the head.

Immortal or not, the crack left Mick momentarily stunned. Pain exploded through his skull and his vision blurred. Hank kept raising the heavy iron rod and bringing it down with force. Another blow and Mick could hear a loud crack as his shoulder blade broke. Lightning bolts of agony shot through his shoulder and down his arm.

Momentarily too distracted by his pain to notice, Mick was hardly aware as Hank, apparently satisfied with his work, suddenly stopped the attack and quickly exited the building. Mick's body throbbed but with effort he got on his knees and pulled himself up. Mercifully, the distress in his head and shoulder were fading at a rapid rate as the bones healed. He pushed the doors open and forced his way outside. His vision and hearing started to clear.

He spotted Hank, not far ahead, escaping across the wide expanse of lawn.

With a burst of adrenaline, Mick's temper exploded. _You're going to have to do better than that to get rid of me asshole. _

Blood roaring through his veins now, Mick started running toward Hank. He bent at the knees and pushed off with his legs making a powerful leap to fly through the air in the direction of Motolla.

At the last second, Hank spun around aiming the crow bar again at Mick. The bar struck his back and Mick didn't have time to wonder how Motolla had anticipated his quick recovery. He hit the ground rolling before popping to his feet. He was barely up when Hank landed a kick to Mick's chest and sent him back to the ground. They had moved from the mausoleum and were now on the edge of a large reflecting pool. Before Mick could rise again, Hank grabbed him and forced his head under water and held it there.

The fight had taken its toll on Mick's temper and he gave in, letting his vampire instincts surface and take over. He could feel his eyes shift to a pale blue and his fangs descend. A jolt of energy rushed through his body and he tossed Hank off of his back. He had the power now. The tables turned and he was on top of Motolla, holding him down.

"You fight pretty good for a dead guy, Mottola." Mick snarled, his mouth close to Hank's ear. "Just like a vampire." Mick raised his head and let out a loud growl before sinking his teeth into Hank's neck. Hank screamed.

"Mick!" Morgan's voice reached Mick's ears, bringing him to his senses. With a jerk he dropped Motolla and turned his head in her direction, not thinking about his appearance.

"You're eyes..."Morgan whispered to herself, voice shaking.

Fresh blood was pumping through Mick's veins and all of his senses were on high alert. He pulled his gaze off of Morgan and wheeled back toward Hank, but he was already gone. Mick's eyes darted around the cemetery. He couldn't see Motolla anywhere.

_Damn it!_

Anger and adrenaline took over and he faced Morgan again.

_A set up? Are you too afraid to fight me yourself after last time Coraline? Is that it? _

Morgan was backing away from him, one slow step and then another. Mick could hear her stricken panting breaths, her heart pumping double time. Her face had contorted into a mask of terror.

_Oh no, not this time. You're not going anywhere. It's time we had a little talk._

He watched as Morgan finally gave up and pivoted around running away from him. He took off like a shot after her.

It didn't take long for him to catch up to her. He forced the vampire in him back down, returning to human form. "Come back here! Come here!" He grabbed hold of Morgan's shoulders and spun her toward him. She struggled, trying to wrench free of his grip. "You come here!"

"What's wrong with you?" She shouted at him. He could smell the fear pouring out of her in waves.

He tightened his grip around her upper arms, his fingers digging into her flesh. "You tried to kill me!"

Her eyes locked on his, confused. "What are you talking about?" Her voice had a hysterical, panicked quality but he ignored it.

He had been able to shift from full vampire back to a human appearance, but that had done almost no good for his raging emotions. He felt rage burning hot and far beyond his control, fueled in part by the physical pain from Mottola's attack and the effort to keep Mottola from killing him.

"I kill you then you kill me and we're even, huh?" he spat out at her. "Is that it?" He couldn't stand her games anymore and wanted to end this ridiculous charade.

Morgan was shaking, staring at him uncomprehending and frightened, almost crying. "You're scaring me!"

"You set me up in there," he accused her. "It was your idea to check those remains. And then I get ambushed by Hank Mottola. What is he, some friend of yours?"

But if Morgan was Coraline, she wasn't admitting to anything yet. "Get away from me!" She yelled, pulling out of his grasp and falling to the ground.

She looked scared and helpless, but he didn't believe her. He knew it was an act. It had to be. No matter what he did, she still managed to gain the upper hand against him. He only wanted answers. Couldn't she see that? Was that so hard to give him? "Just tell me how you did it," he tried pleading with her. "Just tell me how you turned human."

She didn't answer, but struggled to her feet, trying again to run away.

_Oh no you don't!_ She wouldn't give up and admit who she really was? Then he'd just have to force her. This wasn't over, not yet. He grabbed her roughly from behind. "Show me that tattoo!"

"What tattoo?" Morgan yelped.

His fingers closed around her shirt collar and he ripped it, tearing the fabric and revealing her bare shoulder. Morgan screamed and fought harder, hitting him.

His mind spun, refusing to acknowledge what he was seeing. "Where's your tattoo?" he panted. _Where is it?_ He didn't understand. It should be there. "There's no tattoo!"

Suddenly the smell of blood hit him and he froze like a statue, hands still wrapped around Morgan's lower arms. He lifted his left hand to his face and inhaled the scent. It was her blood, human blood. But that wasn't possible. Coraline wouldn't be able to keep bleeding. A vampire wouldn't be able to keep bleeding. She would heal too quickly.

He was trying to piece the puzzle together in his head. "You're bleeding," he said, still staring at the blood on his hand. He turned to look at her and inhaled again. His eyes locked on her face in confusion. "How are you bleeding?"

She didn't give him an answer. He released her arm and she started to back away, panic still playing across her face. He could hear her breathing coming out in hitching gasps.

"How are you bleeding?" he repeated the question again. _Coraline, please just tell me what's going on. _"You should have healed by now." All the fight went out of him. He just wanted an answer. "How are you bleeding?" he repeated louder this time. Morgan didn't respond, hurrying away, shooting looks at him over her shoulder as she went.

* * *

><p>A day later Mick was standing in his apartment, staring out the window. Behind him, Beth was seated on the couch. He had been trying to figure out a way to explain all of this to her but was having trouble getting started.<p>

"What did Morgan say?" he finally asked.

"Nothing, she refused to talk," Beth informed him before getting to the point. "I think it's time you tell me what's really going on."

Mick turned around to face her. There was an enormous knot in his chest but it couldn't be helped. "The truth is Morgan is the spitting image of my ex-wife," he began. "I was convinced it was Coraline up until last night."

Beth didn't say anything but continued to watch him. He could see concern for him in her eyes.

"You know this murder she's caught on camera?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"That's exactly how Coraline died," he told her. "Exactly."

"In a fire?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

Beth was silent for a moment and her gaze shifted away, as if considering something. "That woman was murdered," she eventually said, returning her stare to his face.

"So was Coraline."

"By who?" she asked.

The knot in his chest grew more painful. She was looking up at him without judgment. He didn't want to tell her, was afraid it would change how she felt about him. But he thought she probably already had suspicions about the answer and needed to hear it from his mouth. He felt more grounded and sane here in this room with Beth than he had in a week. Now it was time to share one more secret that he'd wanted to keep from her. Here again he had failed.

Mick took a deep breath and let it out again. He took a few steps closer to Beth, looking her straight in the eye. "By me."

If this information disturbed her, she didn't reveal it. "How did that happen?" was her measured response.

He was watching her reaction closely. How was it possible that this didn't spark any memories in her? "You don't know do you?" he asked in wonderment.

Her frustration was immediately evident. "How would I know?" she shot back at him in irritation.

He walked away, considering how to make her understand. "Have you ever had an intense affair?" he asked at last.

"Yeah," she quickly responded. "The first couple of months of Josh and I were like a honeymoon."

He jerked his head from side to side and squeezed his eyes shut. She wasn't getting it. "Not the first 6 weeks," he bit out. "Not a honeymoon, an intense affair." He put pointed emphasis on the last two words. He grimaced as he tried to explain. "Like-like a fever?"

"I was kind of crazy about this guy at college." Her voice was uncertain as she searched for a frame of reference. "I don't know. It's a subjective question," she ended up.

"You'd know if you'd had one." He kept his eyes on her face. "It's like an infection. It burns you up." His head was swimming with the memory and his stomach turned. "It makes you do things you wouldn't normally do" he finished quietly.

He sat down in a chair across from her and told her a story from his life with Coraline. Just one example of many, but this one was before he had been turned into a vampire. He couldn't even use that as an excuse.

He told her of the party and how they'd met. How afterward Coraline had made dates with him then stood him up. When he had finally come to her house, looking for answers to where she'd been, he'd found another man with her. He'd left them and had gone out to get raging drunk.

What was it about her that made him lose his mind, over and over again?

He should have stayed away that night. Maybe his life would have turned out differently if he had.

Eventually, he had gone back to her house. She had laughed at him from the other side of the glass. Her laughter, the emptiness it had left him with, the fury, he couldn't take it. What had he done? He had found a patio chair. Took it to her beautiful windows, and he had hurled the chair through, shattering the glass.

How had Coraline responded? Had she run away? Called the cops to have him arrested? Far from it, she welcomed him with open arms, letting him embrace her in a passionate kiss.

She'd made him crazy enough to break, to commit violence, out of longing to have her. And that's exactly what she wanted, and had rewarded him for it in turn.

Beth had gotten up as he told his story pacing a little as she listened. Now she had stopped and was standing facing him.

"I never thought I'd feel that way again," he said.

"What way?"

"Insane," he told her honestly

Beth looked down at her feet. "Then Morgan showed up," she added.

"Yeah," he agreed with her. "And I went crazy. Chasing ghosts. Nearly got killed. Let a killer get away. After all the parallels to the past, I…" He stammered looking at her. "I just didn't know what was in my head and what wasn't."

"So, you tried to force her to reveal herself at the cemetery?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I was wrong. She didn't have a tattoo."

Beth took a few steps closer to him. Her eyes wandered away then back again.

"Were you disappointed?" she finally asked.

He sucked in a breath to reply and his eyes met hers. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. That was the problem with how close they had become in the last few months. He couldn't lie to her. She could read his answer in his eyes. He could see hurt reflected in hers.

She turned and walked out, leaving him alone in his apartment.

* * *

><p>How could I be disappointed you're asking? All the things I've had to give up, all the things I've had taken away from me, because I fell for Coraline. Everything I've had to endure was because she chose me those many years ago.<p>

I should hate her.

Until right now, I thought I did.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: The following is an adaptation of episode 8, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note**: As always, thank you to all who read. I love to get feedback so please leave a review. It will help me with future chapters.

Also just wanted to let everyone know, I reposted a new, expanded version of chapter 1 of this story on Oct 5, 2012. If you think you read the first chapter before then, I'd also love to hear people's thoughts on the new version.

Thanks!

* * *

><p>The common cliché about vampires is that they're monsters. I know it's what Mick believes. He's told me it's how he sees himself. I disagree with him on this point, but I don't think he's capable of hearing me when I say so. After meeting Lola, I won't argue with him about one thing, vampires can be monsters. But then again, I'm guessing many of them were that way before they were turned.<p>

Being a monster is not unique or exclusive to vampires, far from it. Humans have learned to capitalize on that title as far back as our existence can be documented. My career as a crime reporter has brought me into close contact with mortal examples of cruelty and evil over and over. This week however proved an exceptional case.

Donovan Shepherd was a multiple murderer, a charismatic cult leader who had slaughtered six victims and landed on death row. The hour of his execution had come. I was not going to weep any tears over his passing.

I went to the prison expecting to report on Donovan Shepherd's death. What I didn't expect was to be so affected by something else I witnessed there, the strength of one of his would be victims.

Audrey Pell was a ten year old girl the night of Shepherd's rampage. She had hid in a closet and witnessed his crimes. Among the victims were her parents. Shepherd had orphaned her, and yet she was still strong enough to testify against him. If it weren't for her courage, he might not have been convicted.

I was surprised at my strong reaction to Audrey. The haunted look in her eyes made me want to reach out and give her my hand to hold on to. I approached her at the prison and she let me sit with her during the execution. When it was all over, I invited her back to my apartment to take a rest.

Thank God I did. I don't want to think what would have happened if she gone on her way that night all alone.

* * *

><p>Beth unlocked her apartment and ushered her guest inside. Once safely behind the closed door, Audrey offered, once again, to call a friend. Beth could see by the pinched expression on her face that she felt guilty putting Beth to any trouble. She could also see, however, that Audrey was exhausted and the last thing she needed was to go off into the city in search of someone else to help her.<p>

Beth insisted it was fine. She wanted Audrey here. She felt better being able to offer some comfort to Audrey, small though it may be. With a relieved shake of the head Audrey accepted her entreaties.

Beth gave her smile and told Audrey to make herself at home before heading toward the bedroom to change. She hadn't gone far when she heard Audrey answer her cell phone, only to register the sound of the phone clattering to the apartment floor a moment later.

"Audrey, are you okay?" Beth called, jogging back to the living room.

Audrey shook as she walked toward the window overlooking the street. When she got close enough, Beth could see the girl's chest heaving as she struggled to suck in a deep breath.

"Shepherd. Beth, I saw him!" Audrey couldn't pull her eyes off of the sidewalk below. "He was out there!"

Beth's pulse accelerated in alarm. W_ho did she say was out there? _She went to the windows, moving the blinds to get a better look. The street was empty.

A short while and many calming words later Beth and Audrey were seated on Beth's couch.

Audrey was convinced of what she'd seen. Her voice was panicked. "Donovan Shepherd was out there," she repeated. Her eyes latched onto Beth's, pleading. "You believe me, right?"

It wasn't that Beth hadn't seen stranger things than a supposedly dead man walking around; she had seen plenty along those lines. In this case on the other hand, the prison execution had looked pretty damn final. "Audrey, we saw him die." Beth tried to reason with her. "Look, you got an untraceable phone call from some idiot who freaked you out." But Audrey began shaking her head before Beth had finished.

"No," Audrey insisted. "He said the exact words he used 14 years ago. 'Hello, sweetheart. I see you.'" Her voice wavered and she looked away for a moment before turning back. "I never told anyone he said that to me, not even at the trial." She drew her eyebrows together in concentration. "That means it had to be him, right?"

"Maybe not," Beth cautioned. "You've heard of post-traumatic stress, right?"

Hurt flashed across Audrey's face and she shook her head. "Oh, it's not my imagination."

Beth saw her expression and hurried to explain. "No, I'm not saying it is." She was trying to proceed without upsetting Audrey. "But maybe seeing Shepherd at the execution brought back memories and made you hear those things?"

Now she had Audrey's complete attention. Her look was serious and she regarded Beth closely. "You sound like you know something about it."

It was Beth's turn to feel uncomfortable. She knew she should tell Audrey what had drawn Beth to her at the prison. Her eyes jumped away then back to Audrey. "Well, we have more in common than you think," Beth started. "I was kidnapped when I was 4." Audrey's eyes widened in surprise at Beth's statement. "I don't remember much, not faces," she plunged ahead. "But I… I do have dreams...and flashes. Sometimes they can seem very real."

"So you keep reliving your past?"

Beth threw her eyes to the ceiling and let out a short puff of breath that sound like a bitter laugh. "More like I block it out." She caught herself and looked back at Audrey in apology. "It's the only way I can keep sane," she explained.

Audrey met her eyes as if she understood. "I just... I want to feel safe."

Beth nodded her head and gave Audrey a sympathetic look in return.

* * *

><p>There's only one person I know to turn to, would want to turn to, under Audrey's circumstances. True, things are admittedly a little… uncertain between us right now. Not that anything is wrong per se, as far as I know, he isn't even aware of my emotional confusion. But I do know there is something going on with us, I'm just having trouble defining what that is. Today though isn't about me or my feelings. If Audrey has some of Shepherd's family coming after her, then we need Mick's help.<p>

* * *

><p>Beth and Audrey followed Mick through his office door. Mick gave Beth a small quick smile before turning his attention to Audrey. She could feel the corner of her mouth turn up automatically in response. She shot a look over to Audrey before turning back to Mick and explaining the reason for their visit. She was afraid that someone, albeit not Shepherd, was following Audrey and might try to hurt her, one of Shepherd's self-proclaimed family that had held vigil outside the prison.<p>

Audrey conceded there had been a variety of harassing phone calls over the years. She was adamant, though, that no one had followed her home before. Audrey's voice shook as she spoke and it struck Beth with a twinge of pain to her stomach. Audrey was so frightened and by all appearances had been for a very long time. It must have hit Mick the same way as he reached out and put his hand on Audrey's shoulder, steading her and promising to investigate for them.

Audrey's cell phone rang and she answered it with an apology, moving to the adjacent room and leaving Beth and Mick alone in his office.

Beth continued to stare off in the direction of Audrey's exit. "She's going to stay with me tonight until we know what's going on." She could feel Mick's eyes as he turned his head to study her.

"She's really gotten under your skin, hasn't she?"

"Yeah..." She swallowed thickly and nodded her head. "There's something in her eyes. It's like she hasn't had a decent night's sleep for 14 years." She glanced up at him. "I could have been her, you know, after the kidnapping."

His eyes were on her face, warm but with a serious expression. "You're a survivor, Beth."

Her gaze flicked toward Audrey then back again to Mick, registering his demeanor. "Yeah, but it's ironic," she continued, exhaling a breath. "Audrey's demon was in prison, and she never felt safe. The police never found the woman who took me, but somehow I always felt safe."

Mick blinked and she could see something flash through his eyes before he looked away from her, changing the subject. "So about tonight… I can park outside your house, keep an eye out. I am a night person, after all."

She gave him a gentle smile and shook her head. "No, I'll be okay."

"Okay." He nodded back at her. "I'm gonna start online, check out Shepherd's 'family'."

* * *

><p>After Mick agreed to take a look at anyone that might threaten Audrey and leaving his apartment, the rest of the day was uneventful. We hung out at my apartment watching movies. As much as she has on her mind, my interaction with Mick evidently did not escape Audrey's notice, asking if anything was going on between us.<p>

I refrained from saying what I was thinking, which was hell if I know. She, of course, assumed that the extra toothbrush in the bathroom belonged to Mick. It then became my turn to explain about Josh, my actual boyfriend, as opposed to Mick my…. Yeah… don't know what to call him.

Nothing like trying to explain the mess I've made of my love life to an almost total stranger when it comes to making me feel ridiculous. And Audrey doesn't even know the half of it… as far as she knows I'm just torn between two humans. I _wish_ it were that simple.

Although as it turns out, given that Audrey was being stalked by a psychotic mass murder's cult members, avoiding Mick by telling him not to sit outside my apartment was a mistake. While I left Audrey alone to go to my office at Buzzwire, one of Shepherd's family members broke in. Whether their intention was to just scare Audrey, or do much more than that I don't know. Thankfully for her, something had brought Mick to my apartment regardless and he stopped the guy. I sincerely hoped that the attacker's resulting broken bones, courtesy of Mick, would serve as deterrent to anyone that wanted to mess with her.

That might have been enough if it were just Shepherd's family we were dealing with, but there again I was wrong.

The next morning Audrey and I went to the office of the District Attorney that prosecuted Shepherd. D.A. Quinlan kept mug shots of Shepherd's family. Audrey was going to look through the pictures and try to identify the man she'd seen outside my apartment.

We were standing in the hallway as the D.A.'s assistant opened his door, took one look inside and started screaming. Since Audrey left the prison yesterday, several individuals have obviously been trying to scare her. Unfortunately for the D.A., he'd fared worse in this regard than she had. His office had been wrecked and the words "No Forgiveness" were written on the wall in blood.

Audrey started hyperventilating and backed away. She was convinced that Shepherd was back, and nothing I said could make her believe otherwise. I held onto her as she sobbed.

At the moment I wish I didn't know that dead men could rise from their grave and terrorize the living. It's probably time I start considering that Audrey could be right about Shepherd.

* * *

><p>Beth was pacing across the floor of Buzzwire's lobby when Mick burst through the front doors.<p>

"What did you get? You said on the phone you found something on Shepherd?" She left aside the preamble and started on her questions.

Mick nodded at her. "Yeah, I got a copy of his taped memoirs. I was listening to them when you called. What do the cops think?" They started down the hallway toward Beth's desk.

"Shepherd's fingerprints were on the bloody knife, but the cops assumed they were old, preserved from the original crime," she told him.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure. Listen to this." Mick stopped them in the hallway and pulled a small tape player out of his jacket pocket. "Shepherd's memoirs were mostly messianic ramblings, but a couple of days before the execution, everything changed."

The eerie specter of Shepherd's voice came out of the tiny speaker as Mick hit the play button. "Like Saul on the road to Damascus, I've seen the light and been given a choice. Death is just a horizon, and I will rise like the sun." Beth eyes popped wide and she met Mick's gaze. Her heart was racing in her chest. "Blood is the key to death's locked door."

Mick stopped the playback, silencing Shepherd's voice. "Blood is the key? Is that about…" She couldn't finish her thought.

"Yeah, becoming a vampire. I didn't even consider it." Mick practically growled in agitation. "I mean, a vamp couldn't survive long in prison. There's constant supervision, there's no access to blood."

_Okay, so maybe there was hope._ "So it's not possible?"

Mick shook his head. "It is possible" he corrected her, "if it happened right before the execution."

She could feel the muscles of her body tense at his words and she exhaled a breath in frustration. "So how do you start a manhunt for a dead man?"

"You verify the "dead" part," he told her, hurrying off down the hallway, back the way they'd come. Beth didn't follow him, standing motionless watching Mick's retreating form.

Shepherd had been dangerous as a human. She didn't want to think of the damage he could do as a vampire.

* * *

><p>Mick made a visit to the prison morgue and verified that Shepherd was missing. Regrettably, he did find a dead body taking Shepherd's place, D.A. Quinlan. After that discovery Mick insisted that Audrey come to stay at his apartment. It is much safer than my place, so I was grateful for the invitation.<p>

I've been to Mick's apartment many times, but this was the first occasion he's left me there without him. He didn't look terribly comfortable as he let us in and showed us around. The prospect of Audrey wandering through the apartment unsupervised seemed to make him especially nervous. He gave me multiple warnings about all the areas to keep her away from. Under other conditions it would have been almost funny.

What I found less amusing was the arsenal of weaponry he unpacked to take along on his hunt for Shepherd. He opened a box and removed multiple stakes of various sizes. He left behind a large knife, but somehow that wasn't comforting. I managed to put on a brave face for Audrey, and gave Mick a quick smile when he left.

* * *

><p>Beth hung up her cell phone. Mick had just called and informed her that Shepherd had definitely been turned vamp right before his execution. It was captured on the closed circuit security cameras covering Shepherd's cell. You just had to know what you were witnessing.<p>

Beth closed her eyes and tried to compose her thoughts. She felt only a little better when she opened them. She wasn't sure if Mick's being out there tracking this lunatic made her feel better or worse. After all, Mick was the best chance they had for capturing Shepherd. She was having some difficulty not worrying about Mick's safety though. Images of Shepherd getting the jump on Mick kept plaguing her. She needed a distraction and went to check on Audrey.

Audrey sat on a chair near the television. The remote control was in her hand and she was flipping channels.

"Every news channel's got Mr. Quinlan's murder," she informed Beth with a hint of sadness.

Beth sat down nearby. "I'm sorry. I know you guys were friends."

"We weren't friends, exactly," Audrey corrected her. "He was just kind to me after Shepherd killed my parents." She reached her hand out, pressing the button on the remote to turn off the TV.

"You were so brave to testify."

"Yeah, I testified. It still didn't get Shepherd out of my head." Audrey put down the remote and she knotted her fingers together, wringing them in a nervous gesture. "Even now, it's like... it's like I have some horrible connection with him."

"You need to break that tie, or he'll never go away," Beth told her.

"Is that what you did when you said you learned how to block out what happened to you?"

Beth cocked her head to one side, thinking of how to answer. "Uh, sort of," she responded. "but I've...I also had something to grab onto. Someone." Her voice caught a little as the memory washed over her. "The man who rescued me, he was fearless. It was terrifying, but as long as I was in his arms, I knew I was safe."

Audrey's eyes were rapt, watching her. "Who was it?"

"Well...when I was little, I would call him my guardian angel." Beth could feel a small smile crossing her face. "When I was a teenager, I used to picture whoever I had a crush on. You know, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr."

"And all I got was a 60-year-old balding therapist named Bob," Audrey laughed and Beth joined her. "Doesn't quite seem fair."

"Well, now you have Mick on your side."

"I feel safe with him."

Beth smiled at her again. Her heart skittered in her chest. Memories of being carried, strong arms wrapping around her, taking her away from the scary woman, taking her home to her mother. Her head had rested on his shoulder and she could smell his aftershave. Why did the memory of that embrace feel so familiar all of a sudden?

_It couldn't be… could it? Why wouldn't he tell me?_

Beth waited several hours till Audrey had fallen asleep on the couch before going into Mick's office. She told herself that she just wanted to use the computer.

_He only told me not to let Audrey in the office right?_

Uh-huh, sure, that was exactly what he meant.

Her steps were tentative as she entered the room. Running her eyes around the small space, she spotted a shirt that Mick had left draped over the back of a chair. With slow steps, she walked over to it. Her hand closed around the fabric almost of its own accord. She lifted the fabric to her nose and shut her eyes, inhaling and absorbing his scent. Her pulse sped up and she felt lightheaded. His smell was unmistakable.

Her hand drifted down and she dropped the shirt. She opened her eyes and they landed on the bank of filing cabinets against the far side of the room. Shooting a quick look over her shoulder, she crossed to them and found the drawer dated from the early eighties, the dates covering the time period during which she'd been kidnapped. Her hand trembled as she pulled it open.

Inside were manila file folders, each marked with a label bearing a name. She flipped through the folders till her eyes landed on the correct one. Her chest tightened. Beth Turner…. there was file here with her name. She took care pulling it out and lifted the cover to reveal its contents.

She let out a short gasp of shock. Pictures….photographs… lots of photographs. She dropped to her knees on the office floor. Her whole body was shaking by now. One by one she laid the photos out in front of her.

Spread out before her was a panorama of her life. In the earliest photo she was a small child, probably around the time of her kidnapping she guessed. Moving on, there were pictures capturing her childhood, her teenage years. Many of the photos were family snapshots where she was smiling and looking at the camera. A few however, some of the more recent ones it looked like, she hadn't been aware her picture was being taken.

_He's been watching me? My whole life…. my whole life…. Where did he get these?_

She sat back and took a deep breath, trying to control the tremors coursing through her. Her stomach seized and cramped. It felt like the room was spinning.

_Why didn't you tell me?_

She stayed, wide eyed, on the floor, bombarded by scenes from the recurring nightmare of her kidnapping. The dream had been with her for as long as she could remember, only this time she wanted to see it, didn't want it to go away. What did the arms holding her feel like? Whose arms were they? What did he smell like? She willed the image of his face to materialize before her, the face of the man who had carried her away. It was shimmering before her, just out of reach, but wouldn't resolve.

_I recognized you the night we met at the fountain. I was right._

She sat there, frozen, long enough to gather a small measure of composure. Once she had recovered somewhat, she collected the photos and placed them back in the file folder. She hadn't gotten up from her position when her cell phone began to ring. It was Mick's number.

She stared at the display and let the phone ring twice before answering it.

"Hi." Her whole body hurt. Her voice was quiet.

"Beth, what's wrong?" Mick's voice rose in alarm. She guessed he had read her tone.

She was silent and didn't immediately answer him. _I don't even know where to start on that question. _But now was not the time for this conversation. "Nothing," she replied instead.

Mick informed her quickly that Shepherd had killed again, an old friend of his. Shepherd appeared to be intent on tying up loose ends and it would make sense to assume Audrey was on that list.

Beth's heart started hammering in her chest. Mick told her not to leave the apartment. He would be home in ten minutes. She agreed and hung up the phone.

With some difficulty Beth got up and walked over behind Mick's desk, sitting down in the chair.

_Psychotic killer vampire coming after us, Mick's hiding things from me….what to worry about first? _She propped her elbows on the desk and folded her hands together as if praying. Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead on her fingertips.

Beth wasn't sure how much time had passed when the sound of Audrey's footsteps interrupted her thoughts. Her head popped up.

"Sorry." Audrey said, pausing at the entrance to the office. "What are you doing?"

Beth looked back at her. "Oh… uh… nothing." Beth reached over, picking up her cell phone and moving it to cover her name, visible on the manila file folder sitting out in plain view. "I was just looking for something."

"So you and Mick," Audrey entered the room. "I know you say you've only known him a few months, but it seems like you've known each other forever." Audrey smiled a little.

Beth's brow furrowed a little. "Why do you say that?"

Audrey shrugged, looking around the room, away from Beth. "I don't know, the way he looks at you. Can't explain it."

Beth exhaled through her nose. "Someone needs to," she muttered under her breath.

Audrey turned back to her, confusion darkening her features. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." Beth shook her head and tried to appear relaxed, even though she was anything but.

"Where is he?" Audrey asked. "Have you talked to him?"

It was a good question. How long had it been since he'd called? Longer than ten minutes she thought. She fought back the small wave of fear that threatened to take over and told Audrey that he was on his way but she'd call him again.

Fifteen minutes later, when she was still calling him and he wasn't answering, it was getting much harder to ignore the nagging sensation that something was wrong.

She dialed his number again, and they could hear a cell phone start to ring in the hallway outside the apartment.

"Sounds like he's back," Audrey told her looking over at the door.

Beth hurried toward the small panel that displayed the view from the camera covering the area outside the apartment entrance.

_What is that?_

It took a few seconds for her to process the picture on the screen. There was a ringing cell phone but it was lying on the floor beyond the door. She watched it ring a few times before she hung up her own phone. The phone on the screen also went dark.

A short stab of panic hit her chest. It was Mick's phone but he didn't have it.

"Is it him?" Audrey's voice came from behind her.

"Stay there." Beth whispered to her.

Beth reached out to the view panel and hit the button that would pivot the camera and give her a better look at what was in the hallway. Her heartbeat accelerated as she did so. The picture slowly moved over till a man's face came into view, Shepherd's face.

Beth eyes flew wide and she let out a short cry of surprise.

Shepherd was looking up at the camera with a menacing smile. "Audrey?"

Beth whirled around raced toward Audrey, seizing her hand and dragging her into the office. She shoved her down behind Mick's desk.

"It's him, isn't it?" Audrey's question came out in a sharp frightened burst. Beth didn't answer her, but crept over to door that led from the office to the exterior hallway. She put her ear against the wall, trying to get a sense of what Shepherd was doing out there.

She heard a rustle of fabric and banging on the glass from behind her at the office windows. Spinning in that direction, she saw Shepherd perched on the ledge outside. He beat his fists on the glass and screeched Audrey's name.

Audrey let out a piercing scream, staring horrified up at Shepherd, not moving.

He glared down at her, taunting. "Audrey!" he howled her name and hit the glass again.

Beth reached Audrey and grabbed her by the shoulders pulling her away from the desk. They ran out of the office, back into the apartment and up the stairs toward the second level. As they moved Beth dialed 911.

"Did he go up or down?" Audrey cried through hysterical breaths.

"I don't know," Beth said, panting now herself, she pulled Audrey to a stop halfway up the stairs.

A voice came on the line. "There's someone trying to break in," she shouted at the operator.

Audrey screamed again as the sound of shattering glass filled the room and Beth looked up to see Shepherd flying down from the skylight in the ceiling.

"Go!" she commanded Audrey, pushing her in the direction of the apartment's upper level.

Beth darted down the stairs in the opposite direction, trying to distract Shepherd and give Audrey a chance to hide. She was halfway across the living room when Shepherd caught up to her and grabbed her around the waist. He jerked her toward him and seized her face with one hand, his fingers clawing into her cheeks, his mouth only inches from her own. She tried to pull away in revulsion, but he was too strong for her.

"Where's Audrey?" he snarled.

When she didn't answer him, he roared at her and threw her across the room. She slid along the floor and her head slammed into the wall. She lay there stunned, her head throbbing and felt blood start to flow from her temple. She managed to turn and look back toward Shepherd.

Shepherd had stopped in his tracks. He inhaled a deep breath. "Hmm... blood." He drew out the word. He had shut his eyes and when he opened them they had turned to the tell-tale icy blue of a vampire. His fangs were just barely visible. He looked down at Beth. "You don't seem surprised to see me alive."

Beth got to her feet and started circling sideways to her left. Out of the corner of one eye she could see a shard of wood from the frame of the broken skylight. She kept going in that direction.

She met Shepherd's eyes. "I know what you are."

Beth leapt forward to capture the piece of wood with her right hand. She caught up the stake and let her momentum carry her to Shepherd, aiming it at his heart. Her reflexes however weren't fast enough to get to the vampire and Shepherd was able to close his fingers around her wrist and twist her arm back away from him.

Beth grimaced as Shepherd kept twisting her arm. It felt like her shoulder was going to break.

"If you know what I am, why are you fighting when you should be begging?" He sneered at her before twisting his face into a scowl. His voice became menacing. "Where is she?"

Beth reared her head back and spit at him in response. Shepherd only laughed and produced a switch blade knife from his pocket. He waved the knife in front of her nose. She squeezed her eyes shut so she felt rather than saw the knife swipe inches from her throat. She opened her eyes and saw Shepherd flying sideways through the room, colliding with a bookcase built into the wall.

Standing behind him was Mick in full vampire mode. "Get out," he ordered her. She turned and fled up the stairs toward Audrey.

Once on the second level she found Audrey crouched and trembling in the closet. She seized Audrey's hand and started dragging her toward the stairs, telling her they were making a run for the elevator. They bolted down and across the apartment toward the exit. Beth could see Mick and Shepherd grappling with each other in front of the freestanding fireplace at the center of the room.

She and Audrey burst out of the apartment door and sped down the hallway. When they had reached the elevator, Beth banged violently on the button to call it. She shot a frightened glance toward the apartment, praying that Mick would be the one to come out.

The elevator doors opened. They hurried inside and Beth started to repeatedly punch the close button. Her heart thundered in her ears. The doors started to roll shut, but just before they had closed Shepherd's face appeared in the gap, grasping each side with long fingers. Audrey whimpered and Beth put her arms around her, trying to shield her.

The doors creaked as Shepherd tried to force them open. He smirked at them through the narrow space between the doors. "Hello, sweetheart, I see you," he drawled.

"Hey!" Beth could hear Mick's voice from behind Shepherd. She only got a quick glimpse of a very big knife slicing through the air. Shepherd released the doors and they rolled shut.

* * *

><p>The world is full of monsters, both human and otherwise. Tonight Mick protected me from one of them. He's saved me more than once over the last few months. How many people would have died if Mick hadn't killed Shepherd? How many monsters has he taken off of the streets, and how much pain could they have inflicted if he hadn't?<p>

It's like he's driven to help people, but why? What happened in his past that he feels like he needs to do this?

All of my life I've felt safe. I could latch on to the strength of the man who saved me and took me home to my mother. He made me believe that despite the horrors of the world, despite the dangers lurking like the woman who ripped me from my bed in the night, there was good in the world. I always believed that if there were monsters, there were angels too.

Turns out I did have an angel watching over me all these years, almost my whole life. And now I have the chance to finally thank him. That, and try to convince him to see what I see… he is not a monster.

* * *

><p>Beth could see Mick standing on the apartment balcony staring out over the city lights. A faint hint of deep red and orange on the distant horizon was a forerunner of dawn. His back was toward her and his hands were propped on the wall. He didn't turn as she approached him.<p>

"How is she?" he asked when she'd gotten close enough. His voice was soft.

"Sleeping," she answered him.

"What did you tell her?" He wasn't making eye contact, continuing to look away.

"As long as Shepherd's gone for good she doesn't need an explanation," Beth told him. She took a deep breath before continuing, keeping her eyes on his face. "But I do. I know who saved me when I was a little girl."

At her words Mick closed his eyes and lowered his head toward his chest. There was a brief silence. "I think you've known for a while," he eventually managed to say.

"Maybe I have," she responded.

"What else do you know?" He asked the question without moving or opening his eyes.

"That he had to kill a woman he cared about."

His head swung up as if the statement hurt. She could see the muscles in his jaw clenching and unclenching. "Maybe he would have done that anyway."

"Maybe." She was struggling to speak as her throat threatened to close up. "But that night he did it to save me."

He spun to face her. "How was I supposed to tell you?" He threw out one hand in a frustrated gesture and his voice wavered, thick with emotion.

"Why did you hide it?" Without taking her gaze off of him, she lifted the file folder in her left hand and placed it hand between them on the balcony wall. "Made me think it was my imagination?"

Mick's eyes locked on the folder. He reached his hand out toward the file, stopping just short of touching it. "You have every right to be angry."

Beth shook her head, choking down the tears that threatened to boil up her throat. Her eyes grew wet regardless. "I'm not angry," she told him. He looked back at her, surprise playing across his features. "I found my guardian angel." Her voice caught and Mick let out a small, sad laugh at her choice of words despite himself. She could see his eyes shimmer. She brushed a tear off her cheek with a swipe of her hand. "I just wished...I just wish he'd talk to me."

Mick nodded and swallowed a few times, meeting her eyes. "First I murder my wife, and then I stalk you. It just gets better and better, huh?"

"No," she corrected him quickly. She kept her eyes on his face, trying to convey the warmth she felt inside with her gaze. "I could've lived my life in fear, but somehow I always felt safe. And now I know why."

She could feel the warmth of sunrise on the back of her neck as the yellow light of dawn flooded the balcony. Mick blinked a few times and jerked his hand up to shield his eyes from the harsh rays. The heat of the sun felt good to her, but all that mattered right now was how much it was hurting him.

He was still watching her with drawn features. "Now you know why it can never work." His voice was firm and despairing.

She didn't let her eyes move off of his face, keeping her tone equally certain but hopeful. "All I know is ever since I met you I've stopped using the word 'never.'"

There was so much hurt and fear reflected on his face. Her eyes shifted briefly to his raised hand. Her heart raced in her chest. She lifted her right hand to place it over Mick's, helping to block out the light. He stood motionless at her touch. Taking a few steps forward, she moved closer to him, letting her left hand come to rest on his chest. She lifted her head and pressed her lips against his cheek in a soft kiss. She let her mouth linger on his cool skin for a moment, wanting him to know her heart, wanting him to know how much she felt for him, not just right now, but always.

When she stepped away from him, his eyes were closed and stayed that way for a few seconds. As they floated open they met hers, damp and filled with turmoil. He held her stare for only a moment longer, before backing away and brushing past her to leave the balcony, his hand still raised against the sun.

She could only watch as he walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: The following is my original scene for season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters.

**Author's Note:** Thanks again to all of you who are reading this. This scene got stuck in my head and wanted to put it out there.

Please let me know your thoughts. :)

As always, Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>8.5 Josef's House<strong>

Mick was standing in front of the glass doors leading into Josef's Beverly Hills home. As he waited he reached up to rub his eyes with his left hand. He desperately needed blood then sleep. Both had been in short supply over the last forty-eight hours while he dealt with the mess that was Donovan Shepherd.

Josef appeared at last, padding across the living room, wrapped in a burgundy silk bathrobe. Mick had surmised he had disturbed Josef's rest with his phone call, and judging by his current state of dress he had been right.

Josef eyes met Mick's through the glass. Mick thought he detected a hint of a gloat playing across his friend's boyish features. At this moment Josef's self-satisfied teasing was the last thing Mick was in the mood for. He opened the door to let Mick enter.

"Don't even say it Josef." Mick waved a warning finger at his friend's nose as he passed.

Josef's eyes were wide with innocence. "Why Mick, whatever do you mean?"

"Just don't okay? Later maybe, but not now."

Josef chuckled a little but refrained from commenting further.

Mick crossed the wide living room area toward the floor to ceiling windows and sank down into a high backed chair. He tilted his head against the back rest and raised his hands to his face. He dug the heels of each hand into his eye lids and kept pressure there. Josef's footsteps had retreated in the direction of the kitchen and he could hear the hiss of the refrigerator being opened, followed by the clink of glassware.

When Josef returned to the living room he was carrying a tall glass of thick red liquid. He held it out to Mick who accepted it.

"Thanks," Mick told Josef.

Josef continued to stand in front of him as he drank. "You do realize that I have a perfectly lovely brunette freshie sleeping in the guest bedroom?"

"I assumed as much Josef, but no thank you."

Josef gave a shrug and turned away, crossing the room to the long low seating area. "Can't blame me for trying. You look terrible by the way. I thought you could use some fresh stuff."

Josef arranged himself on the red leather couch, leaning back and spreading out his arms, draping them over the top. He was watching Mick with a slight look of amusement on his lips.

"He came in through the skylight, huh?"

Mick exhaled a breath through his nose. "Yes Josef." There was a pause. Mick stared back at his friend before lifting his eyes to study the elaborate pattern on the ceiling.

"Alright Josef, fine, I know you're dying to say it, so go ahead."

A grin broke out over Josef's face. "I told you so."

Mick met Josef's eyes again. "Yes Josef, you were right. I'm having the skylight replaced with bulletproof glass this time okay?"

"Better late than never I guess." Silence filled the room and Josef's face shifted, growing solemn. "How's the girl?"

Mick raised one palm up in a gesture of uncertainty. "She's alive, more than that is hard to say. Beth was going to drive her to her grandmother's house to stay for a while."

"Do you think we can trust her to keep quiet?" Josef questioned, concern written on his face.

Mick nodded. "Beth thinks so yes. Shepherd's dead and won't be coming after Audrey. Beyond that, I don't think any other detail about me concerns her."

His answer seemed to satisfy Josef who didn't say anything, just looking away, over Mick's shoulder toward the vista beyond. Josef's home was perched high on a hillside, affording him a spectacular view of the city below. Mick glanced over his shoulder out at the panorama. The sun was creeping higher into the morning sky. He really wanted nothing more than to continue answering Josef's questions later, after he'd rested. Maybe then he'd be better equipped to give Josef the best responses. He was currently too tired, both physically and emotionally, to contemplate what he should or shouldn't be revealing to his friend about last night's events.

"Is Beth alright?" If Josef was aware of Mick's desire to end the conversation, he was choosing to ignore him and continue on. "You said she tried to fight off Shepherd alone?"

A wave of nausea flipped Mick's stomach at the memory. He stared down at his now half empty class, swirling the contents, not answering right away.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. Bump on the head. She got lucky." His voice was low and its tone registered with Josef.

"What happened?" He sounded uncharacteristically concerned.

There was a long silence. Mick looked up out the window again. Down below in the city, the day was churning along, and with it people were out there living their lives, going to work, going to eat, doing what humans did during the day. Most of them unaware of the world he existed in, and the challenges it presented.

"She knows." Mick's voice was barely audible.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Josef do a double take with his head. Mick looked over at him and Josef leaned forward, his brows narrowing.

"Know what? She's known you're a vampire for a while now. A fact I'm quite grateful for today, given what a disaster this thing with Shepherd could have been if she hadn't been on top of it and thought to call you."

"Not that." Mick told him.

"What then?" Josef shook his head a little. Mick stared back at Josef until his friend's eyes widened. "Ohhhh… about the you… and the her… and the Coraline? That thing? That's what she knows about?"

Mick sighed and gave Josef a terse bob of the head.

"And she's mad I take it?" Josef's voice had softened.

_I almost wish she was. _Mick swallowed, looking down at the floor. Josef waited for him to collect himself. He let out a short huff of a bitter laugh. "She kissed me on the cheek and called me her guardian angel." He met Josef's eyes.

Mick thought he could see a rare reflection of emotion, a hint of something wistful captured in his friend's gaze. After a moment Josef nodded a few times. "She's right. She's lucky to have you."

A flare of pain lit up Mick's chest and his face contorted with disgust. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to force the feeling away. "She is not Josef. I should have stayed away from her, given her a chance to have a normal life." He opened his eyes. "She should be out there." He shot up from his chair and stalked over to the windows. "Living her life during the day, have a chance for a normal future. She shouldn't be wasting her time on me when I can't give her any of the happiness she deserves."

"Who says?" Josef asked him.

Mick wheeled around toward Josef. "Are you kidding?" He stabbed the air in Josef's direction with his right hand. "Says you for starters! You have said over and over that relationships with humans don't work, can't work." He was shouting at Josef but he really didn't care about his friend's feelings right now. "Forgetting the separate sleeping arrangements, or that she eats food and I subsist on blood, that I can't be out in the sun without getting sick, or even that she will age and DIE and I will still look like this… never minding all that… I don't even know if I can…" Mick stopped and sucked in few shuddering breaths. "I don't even know if I can physically _be with_ _her_ without killing her Josef."

Mick's eyes were locked on Josef's. His whole body was shaking with fury. He could see Josef clench his teeth together and his eyes moved away, looking in another direction across the room. At last he turned and stood, adjusting his bathrobe. He approached Mick, crossing and stopping directly in front of him.

"So what was it? That was your ace in the hole then?" Josef cocked his head to one side. "You just thought that when you needed out, you could tell her the secret you've been keeping? That you rescued her as a child? That it was your wife who took her and traumatized her? You figured when you wanted to, you could tell her all that, and she'd be so angry she would walk away from you for good? Save you the trouble of leaving her alone, since you haven't been able to force yourself to give her up?"

Mick eyes jerked up toward the ceiling as Josef's words hit home. His friend was right and it stung. If she wouldn't walk away from him with what she now knew, would she ever?

"She's lucky to have you," Josef repeated. Mick's eyes shot to Josef's face. "And you're lucky to have her." Josef paused before continuing. "You know I don't say that lightly about a human in a vampire's life, so take that for what it is." Josef reached out and grasped Mick's shoulder with his hand. He raised his eyebrows, wordlessly questioning if Mick understood.

Mick didn't know if he could agree, but he knew how much the sentiment meant considering who it was coming from. The muscles of his face worked as he swallowed and he gave Josef a quick nod.

Josef's face morphed, a light smile touching his mouth, his cavalier attitude returning. "Well good, glad we could have this conversation." He released Mick's shoulder and began to walk away. "I know it is past my bedtime and judging by the looks of it, you could use some serious freezer time yourself. I take it you remember where the guest bedroom with the freezer is?" At this last statement Josef paused for Mick's answer, standing with his hand on the back of the couch.

"Yes, I think I can find my way Josef."

"Alrighty then, I'm going to blissful cold oblivion for at least eight hours. Good night Mick."

"Night Josef," Josef resumed his walk toward the master bedroom. "Hey Josef," Mick called after him.

Josef stopped short and turned around to look at Mick.

"Thanks man." Mick told him.

Josef smiled. "Any time Mick, any time." And with that, he turned away and continued his walk down the hall.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** The following is an adaptation of episode 9, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note:** Thank you, thank you for the reviews! They are a huge help. Please leave a comment with your thoughts on this episode. I had more than a little trouble figuring out what Mick was thinking for this part, and would love to hear what people think. I'm going to cover this episode with two chapters. Here's the first half.

* * *

><p><strong>Fleur-de-Lis Pt. 1<strong>

Part of me is glad that Beth now knows I'm the one who rescued her. It doesn't give me any more insight about our future, but it's one less secret between us and I've hidden enough from her over the years.

I know she's wanted these answers, thought she needed to have them. But just because you get something you need, even if you'll be better off in the long run, it doesn't mean it won't be a painful experience. I have had twenty three years to process what happened on the night I rescued Beth, and sometimes I'm still reeling from it. Beth's known all that time what was done to her, but she didn't know the who or the why. Now that she knows, I'm afraid it has sent her into a tailspin. I'm not sure if there's anything I can say or do to pull her out of it, but I owe it to her to try.

She wants me to get close to Morgan again. After our last run in, I'm reluctant to go down that road.

* * *

><p>Mick could see Beth's car parked on the street just ahead of him. She had pulled into a spot by the curb below and across from Morgan's apartment. It was a good spot for surveillance with a clear view up at Morgan's windows.<p>

He gritted his teeth. Beth sitting out here in the dark to spy on Morgan was a bad sign. When he'd gotten the voice mail saying where she wanted to meet, he'd figured it couldn't be good. After the confrontation on his apartment balcony and her revelation that she knew he'd saved her, he'd only been focused on his relationship with Beth. Somehow he'd lost sight of the fact that she'd also just learned the identity of the person that had taken her.

She dealt surprisingly well with the knowledge of him as her angel, as she put it. Seeing her now, staring fixedly up at Morgan, she didn't appear to be doing as well knowing that Coraline had kidnapped her all those years ago.

He approached her car, stopping in front of the open driver's side window. "Hey, I got your message," he said. Beth jumped in her seat, shooting her eyes away from Morgan's window and over to him.

"Get in," she told him, tilting her head toward the passenger seat.

"You want to tell me what you're doing here?"

"Get in," she repeated, her voice more insistent.

He exhaled a short breath, looking away from her then back again. "Okay," he nodded his head then turned and walked around the rear of the car. He opened the passenger side door. Beth was watching him with an expression that was almost, but not quite pleasant. As he sat down her eyes moved over to a pair of binoculars sitting on the dashboard. He followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Okay..." he reached out to pick up the binoculars, looking over at her. "Does this seem healthy to you?"

Beth had already turned her attention back to the apartment window above. With what could only be called impeccable timing, Morgan appeared in the window, removing her bathrobe, and standing in full view wearing only a lacy black bra and panties. Her face was turned away from them.

"Morgan is quite the exhibitionist, isn't she?"

Mick pulled his eyes off of Morgan, leveling them in Beth's direction. She'd caught him staring at Morgan and did not appear amused. "See? That got your attention." She looked away, up at Morgan again.

He leaned back in his seat with a jerk and tossed the binoculars on the dashboard. _Not going to be needing those._

"So tell me about her," Beth said.

"Who?"

"Your ex-wife."

His brows narrowed. Of all the different sides of Beth he'd seen, the pissed off version seated next to him right now made him the most nervous. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, we've got time." She turned to look at him. "So why don't we start from the beginning? How did she become a vampire?"

Alright, that question seemed reasonable enough. "Coraline was turned in the early 1700's, in France," he answered her. "She was a courtesan."

"Oh, she was a hooker." Beth pronounced the last word loudly, acid dripping from her tongue. Her eyes sprung up to Morgan's window.

Okay, maybe not so reasonable then. He shook his head. "No, more like a friend of the court." He watched Beth with caution.

"She still got the moves." She raised her brows suggestively.

"Beth!" His exasperation was growing and he spit her name out forcefully. "That's not her." He emphasized every word but it was having no impact.

"Was the sex good?" She wasn't even pausing to hear him, cutting off each sentence, anger creeping into her voice.

He ignored her question and tried again. "You understand that right?"

Her glared was fixed solely in his direction now. "So, you were on and off for like, 33 years? Was it the sex that kept you coming back?"

"What is this?"

"She kidnapped me when I was four, took me from my bed, terrorized me, almost killed me!" The cadence and volume of her voice sped up as she spat out each word.

"Yeah," he acknowledged her. "Coraline did that. Not the woman you are currently stalking." He nodded his head in the direction of Morgan's apartment, his mouth set in a tight line.

She raised both brows and drew back her head. "You sure?" she asked. "A hundred percent? No room for doubt?" Her bitter tone made it clear how she felt about the issue.

Over Beth's shoulder Mick could see the building's front door open and Morgan walk out.

"Get down!" He warned her in a rushed whisper.

Beth hurried to duck out of sight as he did the same. They lifted their head's just enough to see Morgan and watch as she made her way along the opposite side of the street, until she was safely out of view.

When she was gone Beth bolted into an upright position and swung her head around to face him. "Look, if that's the same woman who destroyed my childhood, I've got to know." Her eyes flashed. "Are you telling me you can't understand that?"

"Alright." Mick let out a sigh and relented. Even if her resentment toward Morgan was misplaced, he did appreciate her reason for confirming with absolute certainty that Coraline wasn't lurking around. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

Beth's features softened a little in apparent relief that he was no longer arguing with her. "If Coraline reinvented herself as Morgan, there must be something she forgot to cover up. Some piece of evidence left behind."

"You're the one who told me that her story checked out." Frustration was evident in his own voice now.

"On the surface." Beth shook her head. "But now, I want to dig deeper. You've got to keep her occupied."

_Keep the attractive Coraline doppelganger that Beth is already extremely jealous of occupied. Cause that's going to end well. _

He could feel the muscles of his jaw tightening as he clenched his teeth. "How am I supposed to do that?" he asked her.

"Just turn on the Mick St. John charm." She cocked her head to the side. "What girl could resist?" He thought this last part contained more than a hint of sarcasm.

He stared back at her. "Alright, listen to me. If Morgan is Coraline and I'm not saying she is, if, and she realizes that you suspect her," he paused, the fear of his statement hitting him. "I don't know what she'll do."

Beth face was somber. "I'll be careful," she promised. "But one way or another, I will finally find out the truth. We both will."

* * *

><p>It was a bright sunny day, typical of the beautiful California weather most residents of the Los Angeles area enjoyed. At least, the human part of the population did. Mick assumed that most of the city's vampire minority were wisely sleeping somewhere cold and dark. As was always the case, the heat and warmth were making him feel a bit ill, but he knew he couldn't just blame it on those factors. The person he was here to meet had more than a little to do with his discomfort. He was seated at an outdoor table of the restaurant where he was supposed to be meeting Morgan. He believed it was a distinct possibility that she wouldn't show up. He wouldn't blame her for that either.<p>

He had told Beth he would try to come up with a good way to keep Morgan occupied. When a new client had walked through the door requiring surveillance for a cheating spouse, he had his excuse. Surveillance meant photographs, and Morgan was a photographer. If she would agree to work on this case for him, he could keep her with him for a good chunk of the day. Of course, being that the entire reason for distracting Morgan today was to allow Beth to investigate a connection to Coraline wasn't exactly helping his state of mind. God only knew what Beth was planning on doing during that time, and her insistence on keeping him in the dark about her activities did not make him happy. He'd learned all too easily of late how quickly she could end up in precarious circumstances, and he knew Coraline would not hesitate to use lethal force if she felt threatened. He would hope that Coraline wouldn't be so cruel as to hurt someone she knew he cared about but…

_Right, because she'd be so forgiving of the whole stabbing and leaving her in a burning building part._

He kept reminding himself that Beth was on a wild goose chase. He'd smelled Morgan's blood for himself. She hadn't been a vampire faking humanity with some trick scents and a drug that would give her a heartbeat. Not that he'd ever seen that before either, but he had gotten a good look at the cut on her arm and it had kept bleeding. A vampire could not physiologically do that. They would heal too quickly. Morgan was a human, which meant she couldn't be Coraline. There was no way for Coraline to become human again.

Or as far as he knew there wasn't a way for Coraline to become human again. He did want Beth to be wrong about Morgan didn't he? Was he actually stupid enough to hope that he hadn't killed Coraline and that she had found a cure for vampirism?

_Remember what it felt like last time. How crazy she made you feel. Don't go down that road again buddy._

Mick's elbows were propped on the table, his hand clenched into closed fists with his mouth resting against them. Dark sunglasses, shielding his eyes from the light, masked his stare into space. He was consumed by his thoughts when he caught sight of Morgan out of the corner of his eye. His head jumped in her direction and his chair scraped the ground as he scrambled to stand up.

"I wasn't sure that you'd show up," he told her.

Morgan posture was tense and her eyes on him were wary. "Yeah, me either," she said. "Notice I chose a public place." She hesitated for a moment before sitting down in the chair across from him. He paused for a few seconds longer before doing the same. Morgan had already picked up a menu and flipped it open. "You're buying, right?" She didn't look up as she said this.

"Yes, of course," he nodded.

The waiter approached to take their order. Mick could not help himself from shooting Morgan a suspicious glance over the top of his sunglasses as she ordered her food. _She eats, also something a vampire can't do._ But then she followed by asking for a French burgundy wine, one that coincidentally was a favorite of Coraline's.

The waiter turned to Mick who hurried to toss him off with a "nothing for me."

After a quick snarky comment regarding his choice not to eat, Morgan got down to business. "Okay, so, if you're not here to break bread then what's this about?"

He took a deep breath then began. "I want to apologize."

She narrowed her eyes and scrunched up her nose. "I would think so."

"The other night, I was completely out of line."

She leaned forward across the table towards him. Her eyes were locked on his. "That's an understatement," she bit out.

"There's absolutely no excuse for the way I acted," Mick continued.

Morgan's eyes cast away from him then back again. "Now, are you talking about when you ripped off my clothes or threw me to the ground or just generally scaring the crap out of me? Which one?" Her anger was palpable in her cramped features.

Mick sighed. "Pretty much all of the above." He shook his head. "It's just that you look so much like someone I know. Knew," he corrected himself, "A long time ago."

She was still watching him. "If that's the way you acted towards her too, I gather it didn't end very well." He took her sour tone as an indication that she believed she was understating things.

"No. No, it didn't." He looked back at her. "But I want to make it up to you. I have a surveillance case. I need a photographer. It's going to be ten thousand dollars for a couple of days work.

Morgan inclined her head toward him. "Ten thousand dollars?" she asked with surprise.

"Yeah."

They paused as the waiter delivered Morgan's food and wine.

Her eyes flicked up to the waiter then back to Mick. "Apology accepted," she finally told him. Her body language and expression relaxed and lightened as she settled back into her chair.

She turned her attention toward her food. After eating a little herself she picked up a French fry and offered him one.

"No thanks." Mick smiled a little and shook his head.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her face innocent.

He was trying to keep smiling. "Why don't you enjoy them for me."

Morgan switched subjects to the case and he filled her in on the details. Get proof of the affair and pass along their evidence. It was fairly common work for a P.I. Too bad for him Morgan was not content to leave the conversation with the case.

"About this ex-girlfriend that I remind you so much of..." She was watching him now but with an inquisitive expression rather than an angry one. "What happened? Did she cheat on you or...?" Morgan waved her hand around to suggest he fill in the blank.

_What happened? Good question. When I figure that out I'll be sure to let you know. _ "Ex-wife actually and no, fidelity wasn't our problem." He paused, thinking of what to say next. He would have been a whole lot better off if Coraline had ever decided that she didn't want him and walked away. He met Morgan's gaze. "It was just a very complicated relationship. It's probably best if we leave it there."

"That sounds like a story." Morgan laughed a little and smiled.

Mick laughed too despite himself. "So, do you want the job or not?" he asked.

"Let me see, ten thousand dollars to follow people around and take pictures of them having sex." She raised her glass to take a sip of wine and her eyes twinkled. She nodded at him. "I'm in."

* * *

><p>Mick and Morgan were in the office building of the the supposedly cheating spouse, a woman named Tina. They were standing side by side at the back of the elevator when an attractive slim brunette in a stylish suit and expensive heels entered through the doors. Mick did a quick mental inventory, being careful to keep his expression bored and unaffected. The brunette was their subject. They'd found her.<p>

Not wanting Tina to get too good a look at him, Mick turned to face the back of the elevator. It was crowded and he was forced to take a few steps closer to Morgan so that he was almost touching her. Her head floated up and she met his eyes. His heart lurched. He could smell her scent, sweet and floral. _She looks so much like Coraline. _It registered with alarm that Morgan's pulse and breathing had quickened now that he was standing so near to her. He fought to push down his own emotional response.

The elevator came to a halt and the doors pinged open behind him. He could hear no footsteps exiting so he assumed Tina had not left. He did hear the heavy footfall of a man enter. The elevator began to move again. Morgan's pulse still had not slowed. She was staring now with a neutral expression over his shoulder. He could feel rather than see as she leaned forward just enough that her torso was touching his, her mouth only inches away. He was trying not to look at her. A feeling of deja vu swept over him. He was standing here with Coraline, had been this close to her so many times. Over the course of thirty years of marriage, if he had been blindfolded and she stood this close to him he'd never mistake her for another woman. He would have reached out his hand toward her waist and pulled her into him. How good that had felt, over and over again throughout those terrible years. An intense feeling of longing spun up through him, a need for physical contact. How could you possibly have so much desire for a woman and simultaneously despise her at the same time?

_Morgan! This is Morgan. Not Coraline!_

Morgan had lifted her eyes again, running them over his face. He met her gaze. She was just barely trembling. The elevator door pinged behind him, breaking the spell. When the doors opened he turned around and hurried out of the elevator after their subject, Tina. Morgan stayed close on his heels. Once in the hallway he could see Tina a short ways ahead. She stepped sideways, closer to a tall man that had also exited the elevator.

"Billmore hotel room 713. One hour." Mick could hear Tina whisper to the man before they parted and walked in different directions.

Mick had stopped in the hallway outside the elevator. Morgan was staring after Tina and the man she'd spoken to. "We should follow him," Morgan said.

Mick shook his head but didn't look at Morgan. "They're going to be at the Billmore in an hour." He started to walk away.

Her head shot toward him and she grabbed his arm. "Wait. How did you know that?"

"Trust me," he told her before resuming his walk down the hallway.

* * *

><p>I'd succeeded in keeping Morgan busy for a good chunk of the day. I hoped Beth was able to make progress on her investigation during that time. I'd like to hear from her soon, preferably with news that she's been able to rule out any possibility that Morgan is Coraline. Spending so much time close to Morgan is taking its toll. Let's just say that our marriage did not fail due to a lack of mutual attraction. My rational side knows that Coraline is….was… a morally corrupt, destructive force of nature. I know all the evil she was capable of.<p>

My brain knows this…

The rest of my body however is having trouble remembering.

I had my audio equipment but before we set up surveillance Morgan needed to stop at her apartment for a camera with a better lens. I sent Beth a text warning her where we were going, but hadn't heard back from her. We parked on the street outside Morgan's apartment and went inside. Morgan sprinted for the stairs, going to collect the camera lens from upstairs.

I was watching Morgan run up the stairs when a scent hit me, a very specific, human scent. It was coming from the direction of Morgan's office, just to the right of her front door.

Trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible, I called Beth's name. Her head shot out around the doorway. She gave me a sheepish, embarrassed smile and a wave, before disappearing back into the office.

At least I now know what she was up to, but I really did not need that hit of adrenaline, thanks. I got Morgan out the front door without a trip into the office so Beth's location stayed a secret.

There is one good thing about Morgan being human; she can't smell Beth hiding out in her apartment.

* * *

><p>Morgan was standing near a window, adjusting the settings on her camera. From her position Mick knew she should be able to see into room 713 of the Billmore hotel across the street. He had been very specific with the desk clerk of their current hotel, taking care to place them in the right spot for surveillance. It said something about the quality of their accommodations that the clerk had not batted an eyelash when he had arrived with the lovely Morgan in tow, and requested a room at an hourly rate.<p>

Mick began to set up his sound equipment next to Morgan. In order to get a good angle he was forced to stand fairly close to her left side. He thought it would have been safer to stand on the far side of the room, as evidenced by their almost close encounter in the elevator, but he had no choice.

"I still don't know how you heard them talking about this," Morgan said. "You must have ears like a bat."

"No… not like a bat exactly." _Close though._

"You know, be grateful," Morgan said with a shake of the head. "I used to date a lot of musicians and after a few years on stage they were deaf as doornails."

_She did not just say that, did she? _Mick turned his head to stare at her in disbelief. "Musicians, huh?"

She looked back at him and the corner of her mouth turned up a little. "Yeah."

He was distracted by the ringing of his cell phone. He pulled it out and checked the number. It was Beth. He walked away from Morgan across the room, answering it.

"Hey."

"Hey, can you talk?" Beth's voice reached him through the phone.

"Not really," he told her. "Where are you?"

"Still at Morgan's. That was close."

"Yeah," he agreed with her. "It was way too close."

"Oh, hurry up! The clothes are starting to hit the floor." Morgan called out loudly from behind him.

"Where are you?" Beth asked. Based on the level of concern in her tone he was guessing she could hear Morgan.

He grimaced. "I'm at a hotel."

There was a short pause. "Whose _clothes_ are hitting the floor?" The question was edging much closer to annoyed than interested.

"You know some…" _Oh good Lord, please make this stop. _"I can't really get into this right now."

"Oooh! Oh my God." Morgan's voice had risen a notch.

"Seriously. What are you guys doing?" Beth demanded. There had been a time fairly recently when he had thought her jealous side was cute. Now, not so much. Right now it was just uncomfortable.

Maybe if he tried the direct approach she'd believe him. "We're working the case."

"Sounds like you're working something," she groused in reply. Uncomfortable and getting worse.

"You have to hurry up or I'm just going to start without you. This is hot." Morgan called again.

He would bet money that Morgan knew exactly who he was on the phone with right now, and furthermore, she was banking on the fact that Beth could hear her.

"Mick?" Beth tried again.

"I gotta go. I…" he stammered, at a loss for words. "Yeah, I gotta go," he finished and hung up the phone.

Mick crossed the room back to Morgan. He hurried to flip the switch that activated the recording device and picked up the headphones, putting them on. Morgan was busy clicking away with her camera. He looked out the window to the room across the way to see what she was photographing. Even with his eye sight he couldn't make out much.

Not that the provocative noises coming through his headset left much to the imagination.

_Well, in case there were any doubts before, I'd think I can definitively say Tina is having an affair._

He couldn't say how long they'd been standing there when Morgan spoke. "Are they saying anything?" she asked.

"Not unless they are using deep breathing and moaning as code," he responded, glancing at her sideways. Morgan laughed. "Listen to this." He flipped over the earpiece closest to her and she leaned into him to hear from it.

They stood silently for a moment, listening to the sounds coming through his headset. Her cheek was almost pressed against his and her scent hit him again, as it had in the elevator. He felt her move just slightly, pulling away a little and shifting her eyes up to his. He looked down at her.

Coraline.

Later when he thought about it, he couldn't even say who had kissed who. Only that they had leaned in at the same time, and her soft lips had met his, moving gently against him. So familiar, and so like the woman he had once, long ago, loved and desired more than life itself.

They had broken the kiss and he had stared at the woman before him, Coraline… Morgan… holding his breath. He didn't know who she was anymore. It was only when Tina's voice had come through the headset that he had been brought back to the case at hand.

* * *

><p>Buzzwire was a busy blur of activity this late in the day. Which was a good thing, given Mick's current feelings about being alone with… he was going to go with Morgan for now. His own hallucinations aside, he was through jumping at the shadow that was Coraline.<p>

He was headed in the direction of Beth's desk, hoping to do some damage control after their phone call from earlier.

_Admit it, you want to see her to ease your guilty conscience over kissing Morgan._

Right, because it made sense to feel guilty about kissing Morgan, the single girl, because of the crush he had on Beth who, last time he'd checked still had a boyfriend.

_You didn't kiss Morgan. You thought you were kissing Coraline. How would Beth feel about that?_

He wasn't going to think about how Beth would feel about that, mostly because he hoped she'd never know about it.

He spotted Beth at her desk and walked over to it. "Hey," he smiled at her trying to convey relaxed and friendly.

"Hey." She was shuffling some papers around on her desk and didn't look up right away. "How's the case going?"

Morgan came up next to him and grinned at Beth. "There's nothing like spending the afternoon cuddled up in a hotel room watching family members have sex."

Beth's eyes widened and did a double take from Morgan's face over to Mick's. "Huh?"

"They're not even, umm… actually related." He cast a look in Morgan's direction. "Biologically speaking." He was stumbling and Beth was still giving him a look that said please explain. "Step-son. The woman we were, uhh… yeah she's having an affair with her own step son."

"How nice." Beth's response was dry and toneless.

_Okay, time to change the subject. _Morgan on the other hand was only getting warmed up.

"It was like pay-per-view, but more hair." Morgan informed Beth with glee. "Do you want to see the photos? They are so hot." She started to hit buttons on the back of her camera to pull up the appropriate pictures.

Mick whipped his head around to Morgan. "You know what, I think no." He thrust his hand over the digital display on the back of her camera. "They're confidential."

Morgan blinked back at him, smiling but surprised. "You're not blushing right now, but I think you're actually embarrassed." She cocked her head to the side. "That's so cute. You're so old fashioned."

Mick could feel his face grow tight with irritation. "No, I'm not." He could tell his tone was peevish, but he didn't care.

"You weren't so shy when it was happening," she smirked.

"Well, I'm so glad you guys are working so well together." Beth cut in. "Seems like you made quite the team." She gave Morgan a fake smile.

Morgan met Beth's eyes. "I was thinking maybe we could make this a permanent arrangement." She was clearly pleased with herself and was clearly going out of her way to alienate Beth. Something he did not want her to do, not now, not ever actually.

"I tend to work alone." His response to Morgan was quick, but she was having none of it.

"I mean there's got to be something for Beth to do, right?" Her gaze up at him was sincere, as if her words held no subtext. "We could make it a threesome or something?"

Mick only stared back at her, lost for a response. His head pivoted to Beth.

_So much for repairing any damage._ Morgan was hell bent on making it clear to Beth who had the upper hand.

Before he could form adequate words to reply, Beth saved him the trouble. "I would love that," she told Morgan standing up. "But I've got my own investigation going on, research on this new story. You know Maureen, relentless." She rolled her eyes, as if she wasn't glad she could use Maureen the slave driver as an excuse to run away. "But you two have fun." Behind her veneer of calm and professionalism he could see a spark of anger flaring across her features. She wanted to get away from them. Tension drew tight the muscles in his neck and shoulders. Morgan could also see Beth was going to flee and he hated that she would have the satisfaction.

Beth wheeled away, beating a rapid pace toward the building exit. Mick left Morgan behind, sprinting to catch Beth.

He reached out and lightly grabbed her elbow, stopping her. She turned back to him with a cool stare. "Hey, listen. Beth? Morgan and I are going to be here for a couple of hours. So, maybe, umm, I'll see you when you get back."

"Maybe," came her short reply. "I'll call you when I'm wrapping up." She turned and walked away without another word.

He didn't immediately move. Part of him knew Beth was justified in her behavior, especially given how Morgan was goading her, but that did not make it any easier to take. There wasn't anything he could do about Beth, but he could at least try to handle Morgan.

He found his way back to Morgan's desk where she was loading files onto her computer. "Hey," he directed at Morgan, "about what happened at the hotel."

"Which part?" she asked without looking up from the computer monitor.

"The kiss."

That got her attention. She lifted her head and looked at him. "It was nice, huh?" A light smile played on her lips.

Her comment caught him off guard and suddenly he didn't know what he wanted to say. "Well, sure but..."

"Don't be all weird." Morgan wrinkled her nose and shook her head slightly. "It doesn't mean anything."

"Oh." _Did not expect her to say that._

"Unless you want it to?" Morgan responded appearing confused by his reaction.

"No, of course not. I mean..." He darted his gaze away from her. _Yeah, what exactly do you want here? _Why did it feel like 1953 and Coraline was rejecting him all over again?

"Oooh, I get it." Morgan said the words slowly, as if she had just made the connection. "You don't want me to tell Beth. You've got it bad for her, don't you?" Her voice contained a note of concern that he suspected was false.

He just stared, unsure of what to tell her. Was it that obvious or was Morgan just trying to mess with his head?

"I gotta say, I don't think she's your type," Morgan informed him.

"Really?" _You would know that how exactly? "_And what do you think my type is?" he asked.

"Well, that would be me." The corner of her mouth turned up in self-satisfaction. "Looking so much like the ex and all."

* * *

><p>It has been a really long, confusing day. Too bad it's isn't quite over yet. I set out this morning to try and help Beth. So far all I've managed to accomplish is to push her even further away. And in the meantime, I've turned myself completely upside down with feelings for a woman that I still have good reason to think is dead.<p>

So why _does_ my whole body scream that Morgan is Coraline whenever she's near me?

You have to understand, I hated Coraline for threatening Beth as a child. Hell, I hated her for so many things she did over the years, none the least of which was turning me. I couldn't live with what she was capable of doing, the creature she was capable of being.

All that being said, I fell in love with Coraline before I learned her horrible secrets. Were my feelings for her a good thing? No they weren't, she was toying with me from the moment we met. Still though, I've never been able to force that desire for her to leave me completely. The feelings of want, of need for her weren't magically erased. All day today, whenever I've gotten close to Morgan, I've been reminded how strong my feelings for Coraline were.

Have you ever loved someone and wished they could stop being who they were? Wished they could change into the person you wanted them to be? One day they would go back and be the person you'd first fallen for. On my wedding night I told Coraline that I'd love her forever. When I said it, I meant it.

In my 85 years on this earth, nothing ever hurt as much as murdering her.

At the time I thought I needed to do it. I needed to stop her from committing violence against people. In Beth's case she ruined her childhood, was going to take her life. Why? Because giving me the family I'd always wanted would erase all the regrets Coraline had inflicted on me? All the regrets that she given me leave to inflict on myself? I can't blame her for everything. She turned me into a vampire, but I spent thirty years living as one, REALLY living as one, a violent, dangerous creature of the night that had no regard for human life.

I killed her in order to save myself. With a little help from Beth, I did save myself.

I thought I was doing the right thing at the time, but even if I was, I don't want to be the man who murdered his wife. I really do want Morgan to be Coraline.

And for a host of reasons, I want her to have found the cure.

* * *

><p>Morgan was sitting on the couch in Mick's apartment. Her expression was dazed and her eyes weren't focusing on any one thing. As he walked up to her from the kitchen he could see she was sitting motionless.<p>

"Water?" he held out a full drinking glass in her direction.

"Huh?" She slowly raised her head to look at him. "Oh… yeah… thank you." She took the glass from his hand and sipped it absentmindedly.

Their meeting with the client, Mr. Paul Haggans Senior, had not gone quite as planned. It had been hard enough to get Haggans to agree to speak to them. They had caught up with him outside his office building as he was leaving for the day. Mick had only gotten few words out, something to the effect of "your son" and "sleeping with your wife," when the car had appeared. It had been a black BMW and was careening down the street at a ridiculously high rate of speed, aiming straight at his client. He had shoved Haggans out of the way, but the car's pace was too much for its driver and had started to spin out of control.

The car turned enough so that it was hurtling toward Morgan, standing nearby on the sidewalk. Everything had happened so quickly. He'd seen the car change direction and had leapt toward Morgan, grabbing her and propelling her high into the air, out of harm's way. He'd come down with a smack on the concrete, cracking his head and drawing blood. Morgan had been uninjured as she had landed directly on top of him. The car had crashed with a loud boom into some construction barrels.

The police had taken away the driver of the car, Tina, who evidently decided it made more sense to run over her husband with her expensive automobile than have him divorce her for an affair. Mick assumed someone close to her husband had tipped off the woman about Mick's investigation. Mick had been explaining all this to the responding officer, but as he did so, he'd kept one eye on Morgan who had looked extremely rattled. It took her a moment to react when spoken to. She'd excused her behavior by saying that she'd never been almost killed before. Mick had insisted on taking her back to his apartment until she'd recovered her senses somewhat. Several hours after being almost hit by that car, she still didn't seem alright enough to be alone.

Mick was standing in front of Morgan, looking down at her and trying to figure out what he should do next. She had finished her water and had resumed staring into empty space. After a moment she must have realized he was waiting for her and she lifted her head. "Sorry, guess I'm a little out of it." She gave him a weak smile.

"It's okay. It's not a quick thing to process."

Morgan forehead furrowed at his words, still watching him. "No, it's not."

All of a sudden he couldn't handle her intense stare. He broke her eye contact, clearing his throat. "Well, if you're okay down here for a few minutes, I'm going to go get cleaned up."

"Yeah, of course, go ahead. I'll be fine." She shook her head. "You've got some…" she pointed toward the dark red spots on his shirt collar, blood that had trickled out his hair when he'd hit his head. "Something on your shirt," she finished.

Mick swallowed but the choking sensation in his throat wouldn't clear. He nodded. "Yeah, I saw that. Thanks." He turned away from her and walked over to climb the stairs.

He stood in the shower for a long time, letting the cool water wash over him, allowing it to carry away some of the tension in his body. He focused on the sounds of the running water, trying to free his brain from its onslaught of questions. Still, he kept coming back to the same words over and over.

_Morgan… Coraline… Beth… _

_Blood…_

_Cure…_

He turned off the water, grabbing a towel and robe off the nearby hooks, and left the bathroom. He had gone into his walk in closet and dressed, before heading back toward the stairs. His intention had been to go down and check on Morgan. He stopped frozen in the hallway, towel still in hand. The sound of running water, the shower had been turned on.

The door to the bathroom was open. From where he stood, he could see Morgan's clothing discarded on the floor. Steam was pouring out through the opening.

He took a deep breath and tried to command his rational side to take over, the side that would tell him to go downstairs, far away from whoever was in that shower - a woman that at this moment, he could not say what her name was.

The rational side wasn't coming to his aid. He wanted to see her… needed to see her…

He took a few steps then stopped again, just outside the door. He could make out the woman's nude form through the frosted glass. Longing… desire… He'd thought he'd never see her again.

He let his feet carry him through the door into the small room, now filled with clouds of steam. Her back was toward him, her dark hair covering her shoulders.

He stood just outside the shower, staring at the water running over her body. He ran his eyes down, across every inch. That first night he'd met Coraline, the sight of her stepping out of her dress, diving into the pool, he'd been overcome, wanting her.

Morgan slowly turned, first her head over her shoulder, then her whole body, facing him. She met his eyes. "Do you want something Mick?"

Not taking his eyes off of hers, he pulled open the shower door. In an instant, he had reached out his hands, letting them slide across her wet skin, pulling her body against his own and wrapping them around her waist. She threw her arms around his neck. Her mouth met his, kissing him and he kissed her back, urgently.

It felt just as it had over and over again throughout his marriage, losing himself in her.

He broke the kiss and held her tightly against him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, she was here. She wasn't dead. He swept her hair off of her shoulder with one hand and stole a look down at the bare skin of her shoulder blade.

This time it was there, the tattoo, a Fleur-de-Lis.

"Coraline!" He could barely speak. The words were caught in his chest. He buried his head in her shoulder and closed his eyes. "Coraline." She'd done it. She was human. He wasn't crazy. She'd found a way back.

She pulled her head away and planted her hands on the sides of his face. "Are you really surprised? Huh? How many clues did I have to give you? A Proust book. An old song." She paused and her lips touched his again before continuing. "I even ordered my favorite glass of wine." She tipped her forehead against his and exhaled a breath. "You really thought you'd killed me, didn't you?"

He shook his head, breathless. "How have you done this?" He started to laugh. "Huh? How've you done it?"

"Become human?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded his head.

"I thought it would get your attention." She smiled at him. "You seem to like the human girls."

"You're telling me there's a way back?" He ran his hand over her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers. "You're telling me there's a cure?" Every nerve in his body felt like it was jumping and dancing. He had a chance to be human, to have his life back, to have a real future. He laughed again.

She wasn't answering him, only continuing to stroke his face with her fingers. "Is that what you're telling me?" he asked again.

His attention was torn from her by a sound coming from downstairs. He jerked his head in the direction of the noise and realized it was knocking, loud knocking on his front door.

Coraline leaned forward and kissed him, pressing her lips hard against his. She slid her hand to the back of his neck and tightened the grip of her fingers.

The knocking had ceased but had been replaced with a voice. Beth's voice he realized with a start.

"Mick!" He could hear her shouting from the hallway. "Mick!"

_Beth…. Oh my God… she's downstairs. _

His turned back and looked at Coraline with wide eyes. "Wait," he told her as he stepped slowly backward, away from her. She tried to cling to him as he moved out of her grasp, clutching at his hand with her own as he went.

He staggered down the stairs. He could see Beth just outside his door on the video screen from his security camera.

How was he going to explain this to Beth? What was she going to think? He hadn't yet buttoned his shirt. It hung open and his clothes were wet from the shower. Panic bloomed in his chest. She wasn't going to understand. He finally had a shot to be with her if Coraline would show him how she'd been cured. He didn't want to lose her because this looked bad.

Hell it didn't look bad, it _was_ bad.

He hesitated for a few seconds, before crossing the room to his front door and opening it. Beth gave the appearance of extreme agitation in her stance and expression. She started speaking immediately as she brushed past him.

"I got the proof." She waved around the file folder held in her left hand. "She's been lying to us, stalking us." She stopped and turned to face him. "Morgan is Coraline."

"I know she is," he told her.

"You know?" She was staring at him, disbelief written on her features and echoing in her voice.

Coraline's voice came from behind them and Mick's gaze shot to the stairs. "Hi, Beth," she said in a soft, sympathetic tone.

Beth turned toward the source of the voice. Coraline was standing on the stairs, wearing nothing but one of his shirts. She was also, quite obviously still wet from the shower. She was watching Beth, a small but victorious smile playing across her lips.

Beth jerked her head back to face him. Anger and betrayal flashed in her eyes. "How could you?" she accused him.

Mick hurried to shake his head. "This isn't what you think."

Beth let out a short derisive snort before fixing her gaze on Coraline. She walked deliberately toward the stairs, stopping at the bottom and stood there without moving, her wounded gaze focused on Coraline's face. Coraline resumed her descent, watching Beth all the while, her mouth still turned up at the corner, appearing pleased with her relative position. She placed one foot then the other on the risers, till she was almost touching Beth.

It was only too late that Mick saw the object Beth was carrying in her right hand.

Beth's face contorted as she swung her hand up in one swift motion and plunged a sharp wooden stake into Coraline's midsection.

"No! No!" Mick cried out in horror, racing over to the pair. Coraline let out a loud gasp of pain, her mouth forming a round O of shock. Grabbing at the banister with one hand, she fell backward to lie on the stairs. "What are you doing?" he yelled. Mick clutched at Beth's shoulders, pulling her off of Coraline and tossing her out of the way.

"Oh my God." He sank down onto his knees next to Coraline and cradled her head in his hand. She was shaking and sucking in ragged breaths. "Try not to move." He looked back over his shoulder at Beth. She was glaring at them. "What have you done?" She didn't answer him.

"Listen to me, Coraline. Try not to move," he told her again. "We have to get her to a hospital," he directed at Beth. Coraline's eyes had slipped closed.

_Not now, please don't die. Please don't let her die._

"Stakes don't kill vampires." Beth shot back. "They just paralyze them."

"She's not a vampire." His voice was hushed. He could hear Coraline's breathing become shallow and her pulse weakening.

"She's Coraline, you just said so yourself," Beth yelled at him.

"She's Coraline, but she's not a vampire!" Beth's eyes flew wide at his words. "Not anymore." He turned back to look at Coraline. She had opened her eyes again and was watching him. "She's human. There's a cure," he whispered. "She has a cure."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** The following is an adaptation of episode 9, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note:** So as predicted, this chapter got delayed a bit by weather. (No power equals no computer), but I'm back online now and am happy to be posting the second half of this episode. As always, thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing. Assuming that the next episode adaptation won't be up till January due to the holidays. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this chapter. :) It's always a big help.

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><p>How do start to feel something that you've pushed away for as long as you can remember? It's not like I felt broken. I didn't walk around with fear looming in the back of my mind. I could talk about my kidnapping and rescue in a calm, rational way and describe for you how powerless I felt. For all these years I latched on to the person who rescued me. It allowed me to move on with my life. Of course I wondered a few times why the scary lady, as I thought of her, took me and what she wanted. But she wasn't out there for me to be angry at. I didn't know who she was or what she looked like.<p>

Only now all that has changed, I can't go back and erase that knowledge even if I wanted to.

Mick told me once, not long ago, how it felt to be consumed, burned up with a passion for Coraline, how it made him lose his mind. I think I understand somewhat how he felt. But it's not passion that's overwhelming me, and it isn't fear… it's anger.

* * *

><p>I needed to get another look at Morgan. Since learning that Mick rescued me as a child and it was his wife who took me, the thought of Coraline has been churning my insides. I know Mick said he was sure Morgan wasn't Coraline, but I can't rest with that. I have too much at stake now not to dig deeper.<p>

I asked Mick to meet me outside of Morgan's apartment. If I was being generous I'd say I was conducting surveillance. Mick put it another way, he called me a stalker. Fine, let him think that. If Morgan is actually Coraline then stalking is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the crimes she's committed.

We were sitting in my car, staring up at Morgan in the window above. She was standing in full view of the street below, wearing nothing but her underwear. Mick seemed to take particular interest in her at that moment.

I'm trying really hard to let go of the fact that he was married to the woman who terrified me, claimed to love her. It doesn't help that I feel like my emotions are a pot of boiling water, a tight lid kept everything inside for so long. When you take that cover off, let's just say the steam being released has a way of scalding anyone in its path, Mick included.

After a terse conversation, the tone of which I confess was mostly my fault, I convinced Mick to keep Morgan occupied while I continue to investigate her backstory.

I am not enjoying the idea of him spending time with her. First off, it's clear there was a strong attraction between them. I can't deny it's hard for me to stomach his feelings for her. Second off and more importantly, I know Coraline is dangerous. Who can say what she's thinking right now, what she wants. In the last week, memories have come back to me in bursts, moments tinged red and black, scenes of Mick fighting Coraline. The last thing I want is to place him in danger, but every time I look at Morgan, I gain certainty. I need to know the truth.

As we sat outside Morgan's apartment, I could read the feelings frustration and concern written on his face and in his eyes as they watched me with trepidation. He's done so much to take care of me and protect me over the years. I don't want him to worry anymore, but this is an answer I need for myself. If I don't exorcize the demons of my past, they'll haunt both of us forever.

* * *

><p>Beth stood outside of Morgan Vincent's apartment, lock pick in hand, staring at the front door handle. With her free hand she skimmed a few errant strands of hair back behind her ear. It wasn't that she was just nervous about using this particular talent to break in. After all, there had been at least several occasions in her past where she'd taken advantage of the skill, mostly in pursuit of a story. She hadn't been without good reason.<p>

This time her hesitation had other motivations. She knew Morgan personally, and either she was about to enter the home of an innocent friend without her knowledge or permission, or she was sneaking into the lair of the vampire that had terrorized her over twenty years ago. Plenty of grounds for her to take pause.

Beth gave a glance over her shoulder toward the elevator. The hallway was still empty, but if that were to change, her standing here wouldn't look good.

_You want your answers, for better or for worse, time to go and get them,_ she thought.

Biting her lip, she looked back at the lock and crouched down to set herself to the task. Her fingers manipulated the small piece of metal as she strained to feel the mechanism and make it catch. Within a minute there was a click and the latch opened. She rose and wrapped her hand around the lever, pressing it down. The door swung inward.

She leaned forward and poked her head inside, running her eyes over the room. Morgan's apartment was a large loft area with gray concrete floors. In front of the entry door, on her left, was a living room area with a low green couch and two chairs, fifties era style, surrounding a polished wood coffee table. Against the far left wall was a fireplace. A large glass and chrome desk sat behind the couch. There were three large Japanese silk screen prints covering the back wall along with stairs leading to the second level. Off to her right was a bedroom. A quick look inside revealed a queen sized bed covered in rumpled pink satin sheets and a duvet.

_Lights off, no sound. Check. Looks like Mick succeeded in getting her out._ With light footsteps she crept through the entryway, closing the door behind her with a soft touch.

Beth walked across Morgan's living room, taking care to memorize as many details as possible. She swept her eyes over the furniture and across the table tops, looking for any object or item that could hint at its owner's identity. Unfortunately, aside from being generally messy, paper littered on the coffee table, a plate of food with a half-eaten sandwich lying out, there wasn't much of obvious interest.

_Right, like she's going to leave incriminating evidence out in plain sight. _

Beth continued moving through the apartment. She searched the bathroom, one by one taking out the bottles in the medicine cabinet and inspecting them. In Morgan's bedroom, she pulled open all of the bureau and dressing table drawers, carefully rummaging through the contents before arranging the contents neatly the way she'd found them. Expensive clothes hanging in the closet, designer shoes packed away, Beth rolled her eyes. _Must be nice. _Clearly Morgan had money from somewhere, but that only meant she had done well at her job.

She had just finished in the bedroom when her cell phone beeped an alert. She fished through her purse for the device and pulled it out to read the text message. The display on the screen contained a note from Mick. On our way to Morgan's loft. Where are you? Beth sucked in a breath as her pulse accelerated. _Damn it! Gotta get out of here._ She hurried to shove the phone back into her purse and sprinted towards the front door, flipping the light switches as she went.

She reached the entrance, yanking on the pull chain to shut off a lamp sitting on a side table. Her hand touched the apartment door and she'd been about to pull it open, when she heard voices outside in the hall. It was Morgan's voice, followed by Mick's. Her eyes widened, and she slid her hand down to quietly throw the bolt, before turning and racing to hide in the bedroom.

She flattened herself against the wall, out of sight, and tried to slow down her breathing, but her chest was still rising and falling as she sucked air into her lungs with ragged gasps.

The voices grew louder and she heard the sound of a key in the lock, followed by the bolt turning and the door opening. Morgan was speaking, her voice moving away in the direction of the stairs.

"You're enjoying this way too much. You know that, right?" Mick's voice reached Beth as he shouted after Morgan. He was only a short distance away, probably still in the entryway she guessed. _Maybe he won't be able to tell I'm here. _Of course, more than once in the past he'd somehow known when she was hiding, and that had been in the morgue.

He was silent for a brief interval.

"Beth?" His voice was a concerned whisper.

_Damn._

Okay, well it wouldn't hurt to let him know where she was hiding. She'd heard Morgan's footsteps going up the stairs, but they had not come back down yet. Beth turned and stuck her head out from around the wall. Mick's eyes grew wide with surprise as they met hers. Her face flushed and she gave him a small wave, mouthing the word "Hi" at him before springing back out of view.

She tried to stand motionless, squeezing her eyes shut to focus her hearing.

"Did you say something?" Morgan asked from the top of the stairs.

"Yeah, I said come on, hurry up! Let's go!" His tone sounded just a little too frenzied to her ears, and Beth winced. Her pulse was racing.

"Okay, I'm just making sure I have everything." Morgan's voice was growing closer to her hiding spot. If she wasn't mistaken, Morgan was headed toward the bedroom. "Now, let me see..." Morgan continued. Beth's heart jumped into her throat. Morgan had closed the distance and was only on the other side of the wall.

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked Mick, confusion in her voice.

"What you've got is good," Mick answered in a rush. "We don't have much time. Come on. We don't want to miss anything." Beth could hear Mick moving away, toward the entrance. "Let's go," he urged Morgan again.

Beth held her breath. _Please follow him. Please just leave._

"Wow." Morgan answered Mick. "Someone's sure getting into the spirit." There was a clear measure of gleeful approval in her voice. Beth let her shoulders slump in relief as Morgan's footsteps retreated from the bedroom, and she could at last hear the front door open and shut as Mick and Morgan left.

She gave them a good minute to get far enough away before she turned to look out of the bedroom. Her eyes landed first on the front door, wanting to make sure Morgan didn't change her mind and come back for something she'd forgotten. _Wow, that was too close._ Her heart was still pounding and she took a few more deep breaths in an effort to calm down. When she felt certain they weren't returning, she left her hiding spot and strode quickly across the room to Morgan's desk.

Sitting down, she picked up a portfolio containing Morgan's photographs and flipped through the pages. The book contained glossy 8x10's in black and white. She thumbed through page after page of the pictures - landscapes, architecture, shots for newspapers and magazines. Twenty minutes and several books later, she decided it was safe enough to call Mick's cell phone.

He answered on the third ring. "Hey."

"Hey, can you talk?" she asked him.

He replied that he couldn't really talk, from which she gathered Morgan was still close by. This should have been a good thing; after all if she was with Mick, she wouldn't be apt to walk back in to the apartment.

"Oh, hurry up! The clothes are starting to hit the floor." She could hear Morgan calling to Mick from the back ground.

_What did she say? _Beth's eyes narrowed and she asked Mick where he and Morgan were.

His response, that they were in a hotel, did nothing to reassure her.

"Whose clothes are hitting the floor?" She could hear irritation in the tone of her voice, and was fairly sure Mick was aware of it as well. _You asked him to babysit Morgan, and now they're alone in a hotel room. The removal of clothing is involved. Hope you're proud of yourself. _Beth stomach twinged and she felt distinctly ill.

Mick stammered a vague response but declined to give her any details. The level of his discomfort was doing nothing to pacify her battered nerves. She tried to several more times to get an answer from him but he kept insisting that he couldn't talk and ended up hanging up on her. She stared blankly at the dead phone in her hand, a red light of jealousy blinking in the corner of her vision.

Beth shook her head and set down the phone, turning her attention back to Morgan's photo portfolios. This was the last book. She continued to look through the pictures till she reached the final page. With a sigh, she began to shut it, when she noticed the corner of something jutting out from an inside pocket on the back cover. She reached in and pulled out a small stack of snapshots. Unlike the glossy 8x10's, these photos were not recent. The paper felt old and pictures were yellowed with age. She sorted through the pictures but her hand froze holding the third shot. A jolt of electricity ran through her.

_Mick!_

In the photograph, Mick was standing on a small stage. He was playing guitar with a man sitting at a piano nearby. He wasn't looking at the camera, and perhaps had been unaware his picture was being taken. He looked different somehow, his hairstyle and his dress certainly, but it was him without a doubt. She held up the photo to get a closer look, before turning it over to check the back. A date had been inscribed in the upper left hand corner.

1952.

Morgan had a picture of Mick taken in 1952.

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><p>After finding that picture of Mick from the fifties, I escaped Morgan's apartment and headed back to Buzzwire. My thoughts were flying in a million directions at once. Morgan could have that photo for a multitude of reasons. Maybe she had a family member who knew him back then and left her the snapshot. My instincts are inclined to believe otherwise, but regardless, it means I'm right to think she's hiding something from us.<p>

I was scanning the photograph into my computer when Mick appeared next to my desk. Morgan was following him closely. From the way she was teasing and flirting with him, she appears to be enjoying herself. In retrospect, maybe telling him to turn on the Mick St John charm was not such a good idea. It's clearly working. I really couldn't take one more minute watching the two of them together so I got out of there before I said something I'd regret. Mick caught me just as I was posed to run out the door. His voice sounded tight as he asked if he'd see me later. It might be my imagination, but I thought that he wanted some reassurance from me that we were alright.

Right now I'd like to smack the cute little smirk off of Morgan's face, vampire or not. So no, I can't give him any assurances.

* * *

><p>An assistant opened the door, admitting Beth into Josef Kostan's office. She had met Mick's friend on one other occasion, had been here before, but it was quite a different feeling this time coming alone. She gave herself an internal reminder to treat this as she would any other interview of a rich and powerful man. Experience as a reporter told her that confidence and calm would get her farther than emotion.<p>

The room before her was classic and tasteful in its display of wealth with patterned marble floors and mahogany wood furniture and wall accents. The impressive collection of artwork and sculpture surrounding the space were yet another indicator of the business man's tastes and resources. Of course, Beth assumed that Josef had taken advantage of a far longer period of time to gather his collection than was available to most mortals. There was an array of men, employees Beth presumed, filling various spots in the room, working. Several flat screen TVs were mounted along the walls, tuned to stock market news.

As Beth walked down the foyer area toward Josef's desk and work table, she became increasingly grateful that Mick had already introduced her. It made approaching Josef for help much easier.

"Well. This is unexpected," Josef said as he rose and stepped out from behind his desk to greet her. She made a mental note of how deceptively human and easygoing he appeared. He had the same relaxed and non-threatening demeanor as Mick, a stark contrast to her experiences with Lola and Donovan Shepherd. It also struck her that Josef must have been quite young when he'd been turned, younger than Mick even. His face was eternally youthful and boyish.

_Looks can definitely be deceiving, _the thought sprung into her head.

Josef stopped in front of Beth near the large circular work table, folding his hands in front of him. Beth met Josef's direct gaze and gave him an apologetic smile. "I need to talk to you about Mick. I know you're his friend."

"Is he in trouble?" was his first question. His tone was mild, but Beth thought she could hear an undercurrent of alarm, though well hidden, creeping into his voice.

"I don't know." Beth shook her head. "I think so." She took a breath before continuing. "It's his ex-wife, Coraline."

Without flinching or taking his eyes off of her face, Josef raised one hand snapped his fingers. Every man in the room stood up silently and each left the room without a word or look back. Beth turned her head to watch them go, impressed, before turning her attention to Josef.

"Coraline died a long time ago." His voice was soft and flat. He did not move a muscle and his face remained impassive, stating the information as if it were a matter of fact and there were no doubts in his mind.

Beth refused to be deterred by his belief. "I don't think she did." Beth told him. "I think she survived and became human and is masquerading as Morgan Vincent." She couldn't keep venom out of her own voice as she said Morgan's name and she fought down the impulse of disgust that threatened to surface.

Josef stared back at her without a reaction for a few seconds. At last he nodded his head toward the table, indicating that she should sit. Once she was seated he took a chair himself, leaning one arm on the table.

"Look, I don't know what Mick has told you about me," he began.

"Not much." Beth informed him, keeping her eyes on his face. "But I know you're a... vampire." She hesitated as the word caught in her throat, intimidated by saying it out loud to someone other than Mick. "And I know he trusts you," she hurried to add.

"What do you want?" He was still reserved, not revealing much of what he was thinking.

Beth reached into her pocket and pulled out the snapshot from Morgan's apartment. She laid it on the table face up and slid it over to Josef. "The truth."

Josef did not say anything, only reached out and moved the photograph toward him. He studied it for a short while before looking up. "I met Morgan," Josef informed her. "And sure, she looks like Coraline. A lot like Coraline," he conceded. "But it's not her. Morgan is not a vampire."

"What _if,_" Beth waved her hand in a questioning gesture, "Coraline found a way to become human again?"

Josef let out a soft snort and looked away from her. When he turned back he was smiling. "First Mick, now you," he nodded his head in her direction. "There is no cure for vampirism. There's no magic pill, no 'click your ruby slippers together and rejoin the mortal coil'. Becoming a vampire is a one way street."

"There has to be a way." Beth cut him off, her voice rising with determination. "I think Mick-

Josef leaned forward out of his chair, interrupting her. "When it comes to Coraline, Mick doesn't think with his big head."

_Wow, that so does not make me feel better,_ she thought.

Josef was still speaking. "You have to understand, Mick and Coraline's relationship was one of those terrifying, completely self-destructive freak shows that you spend your whole life searching for, knowing it can only end in one or both of you dead." His voice bore the most emotion she'd seen from him as it rose in volume.

She raised her eyebrows, still watching him. "That's your idea of love?" she asked. _Looks like Mick is not the only vampire with a few emotional battle scars in his past._

"Well, what can I tell you?" he shook his head. "I'm a romantic." He sat back into his chair and Beth chuckled. Josef turned his attention to the photograph again, picking it up. "This was Coraline's house in Hollywood where they first met. It was quite the scene back then. She could really throw a party."

"So, you knew her?" Beth was intrigued.

"Met her for the first time in New York," Josef paused. Beth could see his eyes twinkle and a light smile played on his lips. "Lincoln was president."

Beth let his comment pass without reacting to it, although it was hard to reconcile the man seated before her with someone alive during the Civil War. She instead continued her questions about Coraline. "Mick said she was a courtesan," she told him, studying his face for confirmation.

"Yeah?" Josef sounded taken aback before nodding in agreement. "Coraline was a lot of things to a lot of people, most of them men."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But Mick was different?"

"She wanted him, and got him, then really worked him over. Eventually, the crazy got to be too much and Mick wanted out," Josef explained. "Now, he'd break it off, but Coraline was like a bad drug habit and he kept going back to her."

"Until she took me?"

Josef's expression softened as he continued to watch her. "Mick couldn't stand the thought of a child dying because of him. It was too much. It gave him the strength to break away once and for all."

Beth looked away from Josef, letting the memory of that night run through her. "I remember the fire," she said to no one in particular. "I watched her burn." She was silent for a minute, as was Josef. When she met his eyes again, he had leaned toward her a bit, his hand raised to his face with his thumb running over his lips, an absent minded gesture. He gave her a faint smile. She was surprised to see sympathy in his eyes.

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I haven't been able to ask Mick this. I know he feels guilty enough as it is." Her eyes stayed focused on Josef's face. "But why did Coraline choose me?" She put pointed emphasis on each word and pointed to her chest with her forefinger.

"Maybe she thought she could put a little family together and settle down," Josef shrugged. "You know, like the woman that gets pregnant to save a bad marriage. And you specifically, you were probably at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But it didn't work." She shook her head in irritation. "She didn't get him back."

Josef smiled at her again. "I think you know Mick better than that."

"And you knew Coraline," she bit out. "For a long time…" she paused, needing to hear Josef's response to her final question, but afraid of it at the same time. "If she is back, what does she want?"

"If Coraline is back, and that's a big 'if'," Josef cautioned. He held up the photograph, before slapping it down on the table, next to Beth's hand. "Then she's back for Mick." Josef looked away from her, rising from the table and heading back to his desk.

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><p>By the time I left Josef's office a symphony of noise echoed in my ears, endless questions without answers. All of the games Coraline has played on Mick over the years… why? Because she's selfish? Because she thinks she loves him? But human or vampire, I guess it makes no difference, some people just need to win and get what they want, regardless of the means they use.<p>

Forget regardless, Coraline strikes me as the type that enjoys being deceptive and manipulative to fill her needs. Maybe it gives her a rush to mess with our heads.

I was feeling lost in time and decided that my mission today was leading me back to one place, Coraline's party house in the Hollywood Hills.

A quick records searched revealed that the house has not changed ownership since it had been built. An inexplicable sense of alarm seized me as I drove up and took in its linear pattern and cool façade. But it was unguarded and empty by all appearances, so I pushed my feelings aside, and for the second time today I used my trusty lock pick for breaking and entering.

I moved cautiously through the space with its walls of glass. Coraline must have liked to be on display. It personally makes me feel like an animal at the zoo, but that's me. The furniture in the house was covered with large white drop cloths. Had Mick lived here with Coraline, I wondered? It was hard to imagine him existing in such a hard, sterile museum. It didn't remind me of his warmth and humor at all.

My footsteps were echoing off the stone as I circled the main floor. No one had been in these rooms in a long time. After I ruled out anything of interest on that level, I found myself traversing a flight of stairs, down to a lower floor.

My heart beat a staccato rhythm and refused to slow. Something about being here made me more keyed up and anxious than anywhere else. And this is coming from a girl that routinely visits grisly crime scenes and the morgue, so it's saying something.

I finally reached a room that looked like it had been recently occupied. It was an office with a glass desk. A small lamp sat on one side of the desk, next to a flat screen TV. At the other end was a large copper vase with white flowers. In between, the surface was littered with papers… papers and photographs, large 8x10 color photos.

My stomach flipped with nausea as I rounded the desk, my hand reaching out to pick up the pictures. Unlike the portfolios in Morgan's apartment, filled with artistic and journalistic compositions in shades of gray, I was now holding a stack of surveillance photos. Each photo had the same subjects… Mick and I.

With dawning horror, I realized that the first shot was from shortly after we'd met at the fountain. It could only have been a few weeks at most. I hurried to shuffle to the next photo. It was also of the two of us, on the street together, working on the Lenni Hayes investigation. In my hand I held a pile of similar scenes.

Morgan… Coraline… had been stalking us for months. The room spun around me and I sat down at the desk to catalogue the rest of its secrets.

By the time I had gone through every photo and scrap of paper in the office, darkness had fallen outside. I shoved the surveillance photos into my bag, and rose from the desk, my legs shaking a bit. I should have left right away to get this evidence to Mick, but I couldn't go yet. Despite the ample ammunition now in my possession, I felt a compulsion to finish searching the house.

This house had set me on edge from the first moment I'd laid eyes on it. I began to wonder why that was. My feet carried me around the lower level, almost of their own volition. Part of me knew where I was going, even if my brain refused to acknowledge the reality.

In a far corner there was a door, behind which I found a spiral metal stairway, the kind one often sees in ancient libraries. I flipped on the light switch and carefully moved down the stairs. When I arrived at the bottom I froze and slowly ran my gaze around the small room, taking in the surroundings. Terror began to climb up through my chest, the talons of a great black dragon, ripping and shredding their way till they reach my mouth.

Pink wallpaper, a flowery ruffled quilt on a twin bed, too many dolls and stuffed animals to count, and a complete toy kitchen set, also pink, there was even a full size carousel unicorn. My whole body stung and I felt sick.

This was the room where she had kept me prisoner as a child. She had held me here while she waited to take me to Mick. I took a few halting steps forward, reaching the small bed and sitting down on it. With a flash, a memory came back.

I had huddled on the floor in a corner of the room, crying. I couldn't make myself stop, no matter how hard I tried. Coraline's footsteps had echoed on the metal stair risers. She was coming down for me, and I was terrified. Crossing the room, she crouched down. She hovered right before me, a cloud of dark brown hair and a pale face wearing blood red lipstick. She smiled and I was so scared. My stomach hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before. I tried to curl into a ball, avoiding her eyes and pulling away from her, but she picked me up and put me into the bed. She tucked a teddy bear under my arm and told me that it was time to sleep. Tomorrow she was going to take me to meet my new Daddy. I clung to the bear and lay awake all night, shaking in the dark room.

A wave of revulsion coursed through me and I fought to extricate myself from the painful recollection. I turned my head and found that same teddy bear sitting next to me on the bed. I grabbed it and hugged it close to my chest. The physical sensation of fear, a deep ache, began to shift within me. It began to burn and throb from my gut, to my shoulders, to my chest, fueled by rage. My eyes moved and I focused on a child sized white rocking chair. Dropping the stuffed animal, I jolted up to standing and grabbed the chair. My fingers wrapped around one of the spindles that made up its back. There was a satisfying splintering sound as I snapped off the piece of wood and held it up before my eyes. It now made a nice long, sharp stake.

In a flurry of motion, I grabbed my bag off the bed and ran out of the house to my car, tearing out of the drive in the direction of Mick's apartment.

* * *

><p>Bang, bang, bang… Beth was pounding on Mick's apartment door with her fist. "Mick!" she yelled his name, before hitting the door again. "Mick!"<p>

_Where the hell is he?_

Her body was pumping with the adrenaline that had carried her here. After what felt like an eternity the door swung open revealing Mick. Beth didn't pause or even really see him as she brushed past, brandishing the folder containing the incriminating surveillance photos in her hand.

"I got the proof," she spit out, pivoting on her heel to face him. "She's been lying to us." She jabbed at the air with her free hand, "stalking us. Morgan is Coraline."

Mick was staring back at her and took a deep breath. "I know she is." His voice was quiet.

"You know?" Her mind was spinning with confusion. _When did that happen?_

Mick's eyes rose over her shoulder to look at something behind her. Beth head spun around toward the object of his attention. She was struck with a painful stab in her chest.

Coraline was standing on the stairs, wearing only one of Mick's shirts. Her hair was soaking wet. "Hi, Beth." False compassion dripped from her voice.

Beth's head swiveled back to regard Mick. With a sinking feeling of dread she took in his appearance, so quickly overlooked before. He was also wet from the shower and his shirt hung open.

Mick… in the shower with Coraline… the woman who'd tried to destroy her life…

She'd just interrupted them having sex, either before, during, or afterward, she wasn't sure, but their intentions were clear.

The sour tang of bile rose in her throat. "How could you?"

Mick's eyes flicked from Beth to Coraline then back again. He shook his head and his eyes beat into hers. "This isn't what you think."

Beth could feel her mouth curl up as she sneered in disbelief. _Yeah right, ignoring all evidence to the contrary. _She turned away from Mick to stare at Coraline.

Her pulse was still pounding but her mind felt strangely numb. She approached the stairs where Coraline stood and stopped just in front of the lowest step. Her eyes stayed fixed as Coraline continued to descend. Coraline's face was relaxed and a faint smile hinted on her mouth.

Before Beth was the woman who had stolen her from her bed in the night, had left her with twenty years of painful nightmares that still woke her up in a cold sweat. In her mind's eye she could see herself, a small frightened child with a tears running down her face, shrinking away from the scary lady and wanting nothing but to return home to her mother.

_How could you? _Beth thought as she stared up at Coraline. _I was a child. _

She may have been helpless then, but things had changed. She was no longer that little girl. And she was no longer going to stand powerless before this monster.

A flame of anger exploded from deep inside and her face contorted as her hand shot out, plunging the stake into Coraline's midsection. Coraline's hands flew out from her sides and she hunched forward, gasping in surprise and pain but Beth didn't let go, only fought, wrenching with her hand to drive the wood in farther. She pushed Coraline down so that she hit steps, but still Beth kept hold of the stake.

"No! No!" She registered Mick's panicked voice yelling from behind her, as if from a distance. "What are you doing?"

Mick charged up beside her. He seized her by the shoulders and roughly shoved out of the way, forcing her to release Coraline. The strength of his throw spun her around and she stumbled, ending up a good distance behind him.

Beth pulled herself up to stand straight. Her whole body vibrated with energy. She watched as Mick sank to his knees and cradled Coraline's head in his left hand.

"My God," he whispered in a shaking voice, "try not to move." Coraline's eyes were on his face, panting for breath. Her skin was turning to an ashy gray. Mick twisted his head to look over his shoulder at Beth, confusion playing across his features. "What have you done?" he implored her, breathless. The wounded cast to his eyes stung her. His attention on her was only brief as he turned his head back to Coraline. "Listen to me, Coraline. Try not to move," he urged her. "We have to get her to a hospital." He shouted toward Beth.

"Stakes don't kill vampires," she fired back. "They just paralyze them."

Coraline's eyes had slipped closed. "She's not a vampire," Mick murmured quietly without taking his gaze off her face.

"She's Coraline! You just said so yourself." Beth couldn't contain her anger. She didn't understand his reaction. After all Coraline had done, how could he not see she'd only done what was necessary?

Mick's gaze sprang up meeting her own. His features were tight and agitated. "She's Coraline, but she's not a vampire! Not anymore."

Every muscle in Beth's body froze. _What…? _ A slow panic began to overtake her. _It can't be. Josef said it wasn't possible._ But with his next breath Mick confirmed her thoughts.

"She's human. There's a cure." Mick's hollow voice echoed in her ears. "She has a cure."

_Oh my God, what have I done?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** The following chapter is based on plot and characters from the TV series Moonlight. I do not own these characters.

**Author's Note:** The following is a short original scene taking place between episodes 9 and 10. I always wanted to add a little here, so this is it. Hope you like. There will be one more original scene at the beginning of the next chapter, but I wanted to go ahead and post this, even if it's short. Because this is my own dialogue, etcetera, I'm even more anxious to hear what you think of it, so please leave a review. Much love to those who have reviewed thus far. You always keep me motivated.

In other news, I did revise and repost chapter 2 of this story if anyone would like to reread. It's an adaptation of episode 2 of Moolight, and is longer and more detailed than the original.

Hoping to get the next chapter, (episode 10, Sleeping Beauty) up by mid January or so.

Happy New Year.  
>Nic<p>

* * *

><p>Mick's car came to a screeching halt in front of the hospital's emergency room entrance. He cut the engine and bolted out, racing around to the passenger side door. Flinging it open, he reached in to carefully lift his passenger out of her seat. Once she was safely up in his arms, he kicked the door shut with one foot, before turning and rushing toward the ER's sliding glass doors. As they slid open, he burst through into the brightly lit, antiseptic smelling space and started shouting.<p>

"Help, please," he yelled toward the admit desk. "I need help over here."

The two nurses working at the admit desk looked up from their conversation. It took only a quick glance and they were both on their feet, running toward him. The first nurse, a red headed woman looking to be on the darker side of forty, shouted back over her shoulder for someone to bring a gurney.

Mick stood just inside the entryway, cradling Coraline in his arms. He could still hear her heartbeat, but it was weak and she was struggling to breathe. At some point on the car ride over she'd slipped into unconsciousness.

_Come on, you've got hang on_, he pleaded with her silently.

The gurney appeared from down the hall, being wheeled along by a man who identified himself to Mick as a Dr. Spencer, ER attending physician for the shift. When it stopped in front of him, Mick eased Coraline down on to the mobile bed.

"What happened?" the doctor addressed Mick.

Mick took his eyes off of Coraline long enough to shoot a quick glance up at the doctor. He'd spent part of the car ride over, trying to think of how he should respond to that question.

"I don't know," he lied, shaking his head. He looked back at Coraline. Her face had turned to an ashy gray. The front of her shirt was a dark sticky red mess and the wooden stake still protruded from her midsection. The doctor was hovering over her as Mick spoke. "I wasn't in the room. I just heard her scream and found her like this. It must have been an accident."

The doctor's eyes narrowed with what Mick presumed to be suspicion, but he didn't question further. He turned his attention back to his patient, and started to wheel the gurney away down the hall towards the treatment rooms, barking commands as he went. Mick moved to follow them, but he was stopped by the younger of the two nurses, a short brunette with green eyes. She placed one hand on his arm, holding him back.

"We'll take it from here sir. Could you stay and give me some information please?"

Mick remained motionless, staring down the hall at the receding form of the bed carrying Coraline away, surrounded by the doctor and nurses. After a moment, the nurse's touch snapped him out of his haze and his head swiveled in her direction.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" He glanced at the nurse long enough to ask his question. His head shot toward the hallway again, but Coraline was being wheeled into a treatment room.

_I can't see her from here_, he thought.

"I need to ask you a few more questions, alright?" He heard the nurse speaking and looked back at her. She was watching him for a response with a neutral gaze.

"Uhh… yeah, of course," he finally responded.

"Are you hurt sir?" The nurse's eyes ran down his front, and he followed her glance. His shirt was plastered to his torso by blood. His arms and hands were streaked red. He could see why she was concerned. From his appearance, you would think he'd been stabbed.

With that thought, the deep rich smell hit him full force. He'd been so focused on Coraline, on getting her to the hospital, that he hadn't let any other sensations distract him. Now that she was gone on the other hand, a familiar urge shot through him, making his body twinge and vibrate. He squeezed his eyes shut as they threatened to shift and his fangs came close to descending.

_No! Got to stay in control._

He exhaled a deep breath, pushing the smell of the blood from his mind. Once his vampire instincts had submerged, he opened his eyes to look at the nurse. The expression on her face could be read as sympathetic, and he thought she'd misread his reaction as fear for Coraline.

"No…" he managed to say. His voice came out in a hoarse rasp. "I'm not hurt."

_If it were me I'd be healed already._ The thought struck him with a bitter pang. The one thing that he wanted most from Coraline, that she'd found a cure for vampirism and had become human, turned out to be the biggest liability. As a human, Coraline wouldn't heal from a stab wound the way that he would.

_I need to see what's going on back there. _He was looking again toward the trauma room where they were working on Coraline. He strained his hearing to gain some idea of what was happening, but the ER waiting area was not empty, and the surrounding noise made it impossible for him to identify the doctor's voice out of the maelstrom, particularly from the other side of closed doors.

The nurse walked over to the admit desk and returned carrying a clipboard and pen. "Can you give me the patient's name?"

Coraline's name was on the tip of his tongue and almost slipped out, before he caught himself. His eyes darted over to the nurse who was watching him expectantly. "Morgan Vincent," he told her.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Mick was pacing across the floor in an empty hospital waiting area. Coraline had been taken into emergency surgery to repair the damage from the stab wound. If he'd still been down in the ER, he would have been surrounded by the crowd that always occupied the place at night. Up here on the surgery floor, he had the small room to himself. Not many surgeries scheduled for this late hour he guessed.<p>

He had changed out of his blood soaked shirt into an ill-fitting, green hospital scrub top, given to him by one of the ER admission nurses. His jeans still bore tell-tale crimson stains, but it couldn't be helped right now. The waiting area was a windowless interior room, painted industrial beige, with bad framed watercolor prints of landscapes stuck up here and there. Uncomfortable chairs were scattered against the walls and two corners contained small tables piled high with ancient magazines. The third corner housed a vending machine. A television was attached to the ceiling to the far left of a door leading to the hallway, but mercifully it was not turned on.

He stopped moving and pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket. For at least the tenth time since relinquishing Coraline to the hospital staff, he pulled up Beth's cell number. Lifting the phone to his ear with his right hand, he ran his left hand through his hair in nervous frustration.

_Answer the phone Beth. Please answer,_ he prayed.

After a few rings Beth's voice came on the line, informing anyone calling to leave a message.

"Damn it!" he swore quietly.

From behind him came a metallic clicking sound, the handle on the room's door being depressed, and Mick spun on his heel to see who was entering. His first hope was for some member of the hospital staff with news. He was therefore a bit surprised to find Josef gliding through the door.

It took a moment to remember that he had in point of fact called Josef and told him about the evening's events. At the time he'd needed to relay the story to someone, to his friend. It had all seemed a little too surreal otherwise.

Taking in the hard set of Josef's jaw, Mick wondered if calling him had been such a good idea after all. Josef didn't say a word, only walked toward a row of chairs. Instead of sinking down into one of the plastic and cloth contraptions, Josef found a space and turned to lean his back against the wall. He shoved his hands, almost casually, in the pockets of his expensive gray suit pants and ran his eyes across the room, before eventually stopping on Mick's face. His expression was cool and inscrutable. He kept watching Mick, but didn't speak.

Mick stared at him for a minute, waiting for Josef to say something, but Josef only looked back at him, silent.

Mick's throat worked as he swallowed and turned his head down, studying the floor. When he raised his eyes again, he didn't look at Josef, but crossed the room to a chair facing him and dropped into it. He propped one elbow on the chair arm and rested his head against his hand, his fingers skimming again through his hair.

_It's been a really long, rough day Josef. I don't need this right now. _He met Josef's eyes.

"What?" Mick snapped.

Josef tilted his head toward his chest and raised both eyebrows.

_So much for what I don't need, looks like I'm going to get it anyway._

Mick blew out a breath and shook his head. "What Josef?" he repeated, louder this time.

"What are you doing here Mick?" Josef asked mildly.

Mick fixed Josef with a stare in return. "I'm waiting for someone to get out of surgery," he answered. "I need to ask her some questions when she wakes up."

"Really?" The tone of Josef's voice rose in pitch, as if this information was a surprise. He sprang off of the wall with a small bounce and started circling toward where Mick was sitting, his hands still in his pockets. "This person you're waiting for…. long brown hair, full red lips, hips sway when she walks? Is it that one?" Josef stopped walking. He was almost standing over Mick now, looking down at him in the chair. "What was her name again? Morgan?"

Mick clenched his teeth as he bit back the spark of anger that rose in his chest. He looked up at Josef. "Her name is Coraline actually."

"And you're sure this time?" Josef challenged him.

"Yes, I'm sure Josef," Mick growled, throwing out one hand exasperation. "She admitted it. Besides, I saw her tattoo."

Josef cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes. "How did that happen? I don't suppose you tried to rip her shirt off again did you?"

_Not exactly, no._ Mick's eyes moved away from Josef's face, avoiding his questioning gaze. Snippets from the day's events replayed in his mind… steam pouring out of his bathroom door and Coraline waiting for him in the shower. Yet again he'd been drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Mick stared blankly into space at the memory.

Josef must have taken Mick's lack of response as something of an answer, continuing on. "So all this time she's been what?" Josef asked him. "Playing you?"

"Actually Josef that's precisely what she's been doing."

Josef paused for a moment, and then nodded a little. "She's in surgery now?"

"Yes," Mick responded. "But they haven't told me anything."

After a moment it occurred to Mick that Josef had returned to watching him in silence.

He shot his eyes up at Josef in irritation before jumping to his feet. "What do you want me to do Josef?" he demanded, waving a hand around. "I don't get it." He shook his head. "What's going on here? You came here to give me a hard time about Coraline? Is that it?" His temper was beating a rapid tattoo in his ear. "How about you? You've been telling me for weeks that it couldn't possibly be her. So I don't want to hear it."

"What do I want you to do?" Josef asked, pointing to his chest with his forefinger. "Well let's see…" he made a face as if considering a problem. "How about we start with… not her! That's what I want you to _not do_. Got it?"

"Josef come on…" Mick made a face as Josef's comment hit a little too close to home and he turned away, moving to put some distance between them.

"No forget it." Josef directed at Mick's back. "You want me to admit you're right? Coraline really is alive and playing games with you? Okay. You win. She's Coraline. But do you want to know why I've been so anxious to believe she couldn't have come back?" Josef paused as if waiting for Mick to respond. When there was no answer forthcoming he continued. "Because for your sake, I want her to STAY DEAD!"

Mick turned back to face him. "She has a cure Josef!"

"I don't care about the damn cure." Josef cut him off. "I watched this bitch torture you, ruin your life for thirty years. I've got news for you. I am not pulling up a front row seat for that show again. You go back to her, I am not picking up the pieces again you hear me?"

"I'm not…" Mick stopped, inhaling and exhaling a breath. "That's not what this is. I just want the cure. That's all."

"Uh—huh." Josef's tone made it clear how much he believed that scenario. "So how was the rest of your day today? Before this little accident."

"I…" Mick cocked his head to one side and his eye brows drew together quizzically. "I don't follow you."

"You spent all day with her, is that right?"

Mick paused before answering. "Yes, that's right. She was helping me on a case."

"Helping you on a case." Josef nodded his head in understanding. "And I'm sure that's all you did today." He raised one eyebrow and his voice dripped with suggestion. "Work on the case. Funny though, I thought the other one usually helped you. What was her name again?"

"What other one Josef?" Mick pretended he didn't know what Josef meant.

"Oh you know, little blond chick, about yay high." Josef held his hand up a little above shoulder height. "Cute thing, I think she likes you."

"Josef." Mick shook his head in warning.

"She came to see me today you know."

_She what!? _Mick's eyes widened with alarm. _Alone?_ Now he had Mick's full attention. "She didn't."

"Oh yes she did." Josef smiled. "Had the ridiculous idea that she was worried about you, although I can't imagine why. Especially since you don't really deserve her sympathy right now."

_He wouldn't hurt her. He wouldn't do that to me._ A pain hit Mick as his guts twisted in a knot.

"You know, maybe it is alright if you shack up with Coraline after all." Josef was still speaking. "I mean, thanks to you, blondie already knows all of our secrets. Sure, she might be disappointed that you chose the ex over her, but I'd be happy to be a shoulder to cry on." Josef's eyes flashed and a wicked grin broke over his face. "You tasted her already right? Maybe it's time I took a bite."

Mick was across the room and in Josef's face in an instant, his hands wrapped around the lapels of Josef's shirt. "Josef, so help me God, if you even try to lay one finger on her, I don't care how long we've been friends. I will rip out your heart and feed it to you."

"Hey" Josef face morphed into a genuine smile. "Would you look at that? The guy does have his priorities in order. I'm impressed."

Mick was frozen for an instant, his body still pulsing with anger toward Josef.

"Can you let me go please? This is an expensive shirt you're destroying." Josef blinked at him innocently.

Mick grit his teeth, but he cautiously took a step back, releasing Josef.

Josef gave him a minute to compose himself. "Have you talked to her?"

"Coraline's still in surgery."

Josef rolled his eyes, giving Mick an exasperated look.

"Beth isn't answering her phone or responding to my texts," Mick admitted.

"Mick…"

"I know Josef."

There was quiet in the room. Mick moved to sit down in a nearby chair. Once seated, he reached up to rub his eyes with his left hand.

Josef laughed a little under his breath and Mick's head rose to regard him with confusion.

"So Beth really did stab her?" Josef asked, amused.

Mick sighed. "Yep she really did."

"Good girl. I'm impressed. Coraline had it coming." Josef paused briefly, his jovial demeanor shifting. "Do you think she's okay?"

Mick sucked in a short breath and exhaled again. "I don't know Josef. I doubt it. She's told me that she's had nightmares about that night her entire life." He'd had plenty of time to worry about Beth's mental state over the last few hours, and did not like the conclusions he kept drawing. "The look on her face when she attacked Coraline… the rage just took over."

"Oh, so what you're saying is, she's not that different from us after all." A ghost of a smile played on Josef's face.

Mick wobbled his head from side to side a little. "Looks like."

Of course it wasn't just how Beth was coping with guilt over stabbing Coraline that he was thinking about. It was also the way she had looked at him when Coraline had come down the stairs wearing nothing but his shirt… hurt, betrayed even. She'd never looked at him like that before. _"How could you!"_ Her voice rang in his ears and stung in his chest.

"Well, what the hell are you still doing here then?" Josef's voice broke into his thoughts. "Go check on her."

"I can't leave Josef." His left hand shot up to point at the door. "I have to stay till the doctor is out of surgery. And I really do need to talk to Coraline when she wakes up."

"About the cure." Josef's voice was flat.

He met Josef's eyes. If he wasn't mistaken, he thought he saw fear there. "Yes Josef."

Josef's eyes darted off of Mick's face toward the wall, then back again. "So what, you're in a big hurry to go off and get old and die on me now?"

Mick's features softened as he looked back at his friend. "I just want to live Josef. I've got no plans to die any time soon."

Josef nodded his head a little, reflecting. "Live?" He raised an eyebrow.

Mick didn't say anything, only watched Josef's face.

"What do you think I've been doing the last four hundred years Mick? You should try it sometime."

"Josef…" Mick's voice trailed off.

Josef raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Hey, you know what? If there really is a cure, I won't stand in your way. But tonight, if it's that life you're worried about, you're not doing yourself any favors hanging around this hospital."

"I brought in a stabbing victim Josef. I really shouldn't disappear without the hospital knowing about it. They could call the cops."

"Let me worry about the hospital staff. I can handle them when they come back. I'll just tell them I'm an old friend of Coraline's." He flashed Mick a sinister smile. "And I'll give them your contact info. They can call you when she wakes up."

"And if she wakes up while you're still here?"

"She won't," Josef said, but seeing the expression on Mick's face hastened to add, "but don't worry I wont' hurt her. I'll behave myself. She's got my interest peaked now too."

Mick paused, considering Josef's suggestion. He really did want to see Beth not just text or call her anyway. _The question is, will she be any more willing to talk to me in person than she is on her phone?_ He could only hope so.

Mick rose from his chair and crossed to door leading into the hallway. He stopped with his hand on the handle and turned back to look at Josef. "You call me if…"

"Any news at all, I promise."

Mick gave a quick bob of the head. "Okay." He faced the door again, opened it, and walked out of the room into the hallway. He shot a last glance over his shoulder at the white sliding doors leading into the surgery area, a large yellow sticker with black lettering proclaiming Authorized Personnel Only was fixed on the glass. Somewhere beyond the doors Coraline might make it, or she could die and take her secrets with her to the grave.

Either way there was still hope, and yes, it was hope that he didn't have before. It'd be a hell of a lot harder to find the cure without her, but it did not change the reality that it existed. He'd just have to be content with that for now.

But in this moment, it was time let that go and focus on the one thing in his life that had mattered before Morgan Vincent had appeared to turn his life upside down.

Mick started down the hall at a brisk but purposeful walk toward the stairs. He was jogging when he hit the first floor lobby. By the time he'd reached the parking lot, he was in a flat out run to his car.

There was only one thing on his mind.

Beth.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** The following chapter is based on plot and characters from the TV series Moonlight. I do not own these characters.

**Author's Note:** The following is another short original scene taking place between episodes 9 and 10. Realized after I posted the last chapter that I don't want it at the beginning of episode 10 for various reasons, so here it is as a stand alone. Hope everyone likes. :)

Thank you, thank you, to all of you that are reading, and a special thanks to those that have left a review. It's a huge help and a relief to hear your thoughts.

* * *

><p>Beth told me once, not long ago, that she thought there was a reason we kept finding each other in the same places and times. Maybe some great cosmic power, a driving force of the universe, call it God if you believe in that sort of thing, had a plan for us.<p>

I first heard her thoughts on the subject when we'd bumped into each other late at night in the morgue, a week after I'd fed on her blood in the desert, and not too long before she caught me on the top floor of Buzzwire's parking garage, trying to escape her, and kissed me.

If there is an omnipotent universal force carrying out its will, giving and taking life, throwing people together and ripping them apart, why would it put a cure just past my fingertips and then to take it away so quickly? For what reason?

I know Josef says I should be able to get past all this and live as a vampire. I hear him, and on some level I do understand him. But it doesn't change the fact that if there is a chance for me to become human again, I will take it in a heartbeat, no question or hesitation.

What if Coraline dies and I can't figure out how she did it?

And what if Beth, the one person that brought joy back into my world, after so many years of despair… what if she's the one who took all that away?

How am I supposed to get past that? How are _we_ supposed to get past that?

If there is a cosmic force and it has a plan for me, I would really like to know what that plan is, would like to know RIGHT NOW.

Unfortunately the Universe doesn't work that way.

So now I find myself at Beth's doorstep, searching for words and a path forward.

* * *

><p>Mick raised his hand to knock but froze before his fist touched the door. <em>It's late… really late. She's going to be asleep. <em>

Right, sure, because how likely was it that she'd put her childhood kidnapper in the hospital and then came home to a peaceful night's rest? Not too damn likely.

So why wasn't she answering her phone?

_What if Josh is here? How am I going to explain to him what I'm doing here?_

Of course in reality, Josh was probably the least of his worries. He could come up with something to handle Josh. His real fear was the earful Beth was going to give him.

Or not give him… that would be worse.

_What am I going to say to her? What do I want to say?_

When he'd left the hospital he'd been desperate to get here and see her. Make sure that she was alright. Now that he was so close, doubts were creeping in.

_Mick, just knock on the damn door already, _Josef's voice echoed in his head as if he could see Mick standing like a statue in the hallway outside of Beth's apartment.

Steeling himself for the conversation to come, he forced himself to knock.

A minute passed but there was no answer, no sound of movement from beyond the door.

"Beth?" he tried calling her name. He rapped on the door again. "Beth?"

He was on the verge of giving up, and beginning to contemplate alternative means of entry to her apartment, the balcony out front for example. But before he could actually leave a sound came from within, her footsteps.

The door opened, not swinging all the way wide, but cracking to leave a space of a foot or so. Beth stood in the space, one hand on the door jamb, her other inside on the knob. She was dressed in gray leggings and a worn baggy blue tee-shirt, her hair pulled into a ponytail.

Any spark of ill will at her actions or thought of ever asking what possessed her to stab Coraline died on his lips. Her drawn and haunted expression struck him to the bone. The muscles of her shoulders were tight and stiff and her body language tense. It was a stark contrast from her usual animated and lively countenance. Even in anger or fear, she normally gave off the illusion of a beam of light, carried somewhere deep inside.

He thought he'd had a rough night, worrying about Coraline's injuries and losing the cure. Obviously the events of the day had taken a great toll on Beth as well.

"Hi," he said in a quiet voice. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

She shook her head and looked down at the floor. "No, you didn't."

"I tried to call you, tried to text you a message." _Why didn't you answer?_ He couldn't bring himself to ask his unspoken question. It looked pretty evident that she didn't want to talk to him.

"I turned my cell off, unplugged my land line," she replied, meeting his eyes only briefly then glancing away.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Umm…" she hesitated, "yeah sure, of course."

She took a step backward, holding the door farther open till he'd passed her. He stopped in her living room and watched while she shut it.

She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her midsection, and gripping an elbow with each hand. She only took a few steps closer, standing a good distance away. "What happened at the hospital? How is she?"

"I don't know how she is," he told her honestly. "They took her into surgery."

"And did they ask about…" her voice trailed off. "I mean about how she…" He could see her struggling for words, panic written on her features.

"It was an accident." His voice was firm and deliberate and he tried to hold Beth's eye contact.

Her eyes darted away from him and then back again. She bit her lower lip. "And they believed that?"

"As far as I know right now they did."

"Has she been awake to talk to them?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure."

She nodded and the room filled with silence.

"Beth I…"

"Mick…"They both stopped as they had started speaking at the same time.

"Sorry," he shook his head. "You go first," he told her.

He could see her gulp down a lung full of air, and her lower lip trembled a little. "I don't have any words to explain what I did tonight or to," her voice broke a little, "to begin to apologize."

He'd already forgiven her before she'd spoken.

"Hey, wait… stop." He cut her off, and walked towards her. "You don't need to apologize. Under the circumstances… after what she put you through, and then to show up again, to lie to us about who she is, you had every right to be angry."

"How can you say that?" The words burst out of her in an agitated gush as she threw a hand into the air. "She could die couldn't she? Nothing gave me the right to…" She pressed the back of her left hand to her mouth.

"Were you trying to kill her?" he asked. "Is that what you really wanted to do?"

She met his eyes. "No, of course not. I didn't think it was possible."

"Okay, so stop doing this to yourself. She started this, not you."

Beth shook her head and her eyes filled with tears. "I stabbed her," she said, her voice barely audible.

Mick nodded and swallowed. "Yes, well that makes two of us then doesn't it? I stabbed her too remember? A long time ago, but still."

She let out a sigh, appearing to not accepting his comparison. "That was different. She was trying to hurt you at the time."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "And she wasn't trying to hurt you today? Really?"

She paused, looking back at him. "Not physically no."

He gave her a weak smile. "If it helps at all, Josef told me he's very proud of you for what you did."

A small, incredulous laugh escaped her and she rolled her eyes. "Oh okay, thanks I guess."

He turned his head to look at the couch. "Come sit down?"

The shadow lurking on her face seemed to ease a little. She nodded and walked over to the sofa, sitting down on the right side. Propping her feet on the cushions, she pulled her knees up against her chest.

He sat down across from her, next to the other arm rest. Turning sideways, he leaned his left elbow on the back of the couch.

"So what happened to you today?" he asked her. "After you left Buzzwire?"

"I went to see her house, Coraline's, the one you told me about."

_She doesn't want to tell me that she went to see Josef._ He decided not to make an issue of it. Besides, he thought he'd made it pretty clear to Josef what would happen if Josef didn't behave himself around Beth.

"And that's where you found the surveillance photos?" he asked.

"Yes, she kept them in an office upstairs. She's been watching us for months, or has had someone doing it anyway."

_I wonder how long she's been human? Did she only take the cure after I met Beth?_

Without intending to, his gaze wandered off into space.

"Did you live there?" Beth's voice brought him back.

"Her mansion?"

Beth nodded.

"Yeah, after I was turned that's where we lived. I didn't appreciate all those windows, all that sunlight though."

"I couldn't imagine you there." Her voice was soft, something wounded hidden underneath. He was watching her, waiting for her to continue. She wasn't looking at him. "I found where she kept me."

Mick's brow furrowed in confusion. "The house where she kept you burned to the ground."

"That's only where she took me at the end, to meet you I guess." Her eyes rose and landed on his face. "She had a room for me in her mansion. It's still there."

"Where?"

"A small room downstairs, at the bottom of a spiral staircase."

He remembered the room she meant, windowless and cold, a basement. She hadn't used it for anything when they'd lived there.

"It hasn't changed," she told him. "It looks the way it did when she took me. She filled it with pink ruffles and lots of girly toys." Beth's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"You saw this room alone?" There was a sharp stab of pain in his chest.

Beth didn't answer him, only nodded quickly before looking away out the window again. "I was scared. I remember what it felt like down there, to be really, truly terrified." She drew in a shuddering breath, her shoulders convulsing, then exhaled in a sharp puff. "I guess I just lost it after that."

He couldn't think of anything to say, he was too horrified by the thought of her facing all that on her own. Her hands had slipped down from her knees to rest against her feet. He hesitated then reached out, curling his fingers around her left hand, running his thumb against her wrist.

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you today."

Her eyes touched on his hand over her own, before lifting up to stare back at him. "You kept her busy and now we know the truth. That's what I asked you to do, what I wanted wasn't it?"

His throat started to close up and he swallowed to clear it. "Yeah, I guess you did."

He pulled his hand back away from hers.

"Beth..." he grit his teeth together, trying to gather courage for what he wanted to say next. "About before…" his voice faltered, "I mean what it looked like."

"And what did it look like exactly?"

This was the part where he expected her tone to drop into frigid temperatures, but somehow it hadn't. She was only staring back at him calmly. Her question had sounded perfectly reasonable and without subtext.

"I… I'm not going to tell you that nothing happened but…"

She raised her hand, palm facing him, waving it a little to stop him. "You know what? It's none of my business. I'm not saying I understand, but I have no right to tell you what to do."

"Beth, it is your business." His voice rose in volume. "You're my…."

_She's your what? Friend? Is that the word you're looking for? _

Mick paused and sucked in a breath. He looked back at her, but she didn't react. "If I went back to Coraline after what she did to you… I'm not doing that." He put pointed loud emphasis on the word not. "I don't want to do that to myself. Yes, I was relieved that I wasn't crazy all this time thinking Morgan was Coraline. And I was relieved she's not dead, that I didn't kill her."

Beth flinched.

Mick groaned internally. _Coraline dying, exactly what Beth feels guilty about, and I keep reminding her._

Beth cleared her throat. "You I know it's been a long day," She changed the subject. "And I'm sure you could use some time in your freezer right? I think maybe we both should try to get some sleep."

"Yeah," he was forced to agree with her after a minute. "That's true I guess."

"Are you going to the hospital to see her tomorrow?"

"Yes, I am. I have a lot of questions for her when she wakes up."

Beth was twisting her fingers together. "Can I go with you?" she asked in a small voice without looking up at him.

He didn't respond for a moment. When she eventually looked up at him, he was blinking back at her in a manner that he was sure conveyed wide surprise.

"Yeah, of course you can," he stammered. "I just… why would you want to?"

"I just need to I guess." A hint of determination had crept back into her voice, and for that he was grateful. "I don't have a good explanation."

"Besides, if you need to see her…" She let her voice trail off but tried to give him a pale smile. "I don't want you to be alone either."

The pain in his chest, a feeling that he hadn't really been aware of, released a little. "Okay. Thanks," he answered slowly.

Beth exhaled a breath and they sat silently, neither making the move to get up. She shut her eyes, and cocked her head first to the left, then the right, as if stretching out the tension in her neck, and ended up giving a wide yawn.

Her eyes flew open and Mick laughed.

"Sorry," she laughed shortly too, raising one hand to cover her mouth.

"You really do need to go to sleep."

They both got up from the couch, and he headed toward the front door, with Beth following him.

When he reached the door, he turned back over his shoulder. "Are you alright tonight? I could stay on the couch, at least till your asleep."

"No. It's okay." She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

He watched her face, trying to judge the truth of her statement and decided to take her at her word. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow." Her mouth curled up a little at the corners and some of the warmth had returned to her eyes.

With a last look at her, he opened the door and left.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** The following is an adaptation of episode 10, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

**Author's Note:** I feel like this chapter covers a lot of plot and emotion in a short time, so please tell me if I did a reasonable job covering it. Yet another chapter where I confess to having trouble getting inside Beth's head at the end of this one.

Thank you so much to all who are reading. And thank you to my reviewers. :)

* * *

><p>Have you ever felt like it was incredibly important you get an answer to a question? There was a burning desire in your soul to find a missing puzzle piece. And you were absolutely certain, this knowledge would complete you. The hole inside your gut, your heart would be filled. Life would be better, somehow…<p>

If you only knew.

But it wasn't true… at least not for me. The hole inside me expanded. It grew into a deep cavern… and I fell right into it.

I thought stabbing Coraline would make me feel better, as if inflicting my rage on her would make up for the years of nightmares. Maybe if she had still been a vampire, it would have worked. If she'd just been paralyzed I wouldn't feel so awful this morning, so guilty.

I don't want her to die. Yesterday I hated her, but now I understand why it hurt Mick so much to have thought he killed her. I don't want to be responsible for her murder any more than he did. I don't want to feel like I'm capable of it.

It's amazing how quickly what you think you know and are sure of can change. It wasn't too many months ago, that I had no idea who'd kidnapped me as a child. I did not know the name or face of the man who'd rescued me. I most definitely would have told you there was no such thing as vampires.

Yesterday on the other hand, not only did I know about the existence of vampires, but I was sure what I knew about them was true. I convinced myself Coraline could not have returned to humanity. I wasn't stabbing a person right? I was just staking a monster.

I made a mistake.

This morning, I can't help but be frightened. Is there anything else in my life that I thought I was sure of without a doubt, but I'm wrong?

I thought I knew about Mick and me. About what we are and what we're supposed to be. This morning I don't know. He's my guardian angel and that will always be true. But what if he only wants to take care of the little girl he saved all those years ago? He may not feel anything more for me than that.

When he saved me, he gave me back my life so that I wouldn't cower in fear from Coraline. I could be out there, enjoy the world without fear. Because of that, because of everything he's given me, I want something for him. I want him to have this cure.

He is alone so much of the time. My touch doesn't reach him to bring him back. Maybe the cure could.

The last thing I want is to be responsible for taking away his chance to live. And I don't want him to have to lose anything or anyone else.

* * *

><p>Beth was following Mick down the hospital hallway towards Coraline's room in the ICU. She was trying to block out her heartbeat thundering in her ears, but the closer they got to Coraline, the worse Beth felt. <em>Maybe I shouldn't have come.<em> The thought sprang into her head.

But part of her wanted to face this. Whether it was Coraline herself, or the reality of the injuries Beth had inflicted on her, she wasn't sure. She also wanted to try and support Mick, if her presence could do anything in that regard. It was clear from his behavior, withdrawn and distracted, that everything about Coraline's current circumstances was hard on him.

They reached Coraline's room and found her doctor. Mick made quick introductions and asked for an update on her condition.

"The object missed her heart, but punctured her left lung and partially tore the pericardium," Dr. Duffy told them as she moved over to Coraline's bedside and read the numbers on some of the nearby machines.

"Is she going to live?" Mick asked.

"It's a deep wound and infection has already set in." Dr. Duffy sounded uncertain. "That's our biggest concern right now. That, and a buildup of fluid around the heart." The doctor looked up at Mick and Beth, standing near the room's entrance. She adopted a mild quizzical expression. "You know, it's a very unusual wound. I understand she told the ER doctor that it was some sort of accident. Do either of you know what happened?"

Beth's stomach clenched.

"No." Mick answered the doctor with a shake of the head. "We don't know what happened." Beth noticed that Mick didn't take his eyes off of Coraline even as he answered her doctor's questions.

Beth's pulse relaxed a little. If she didn't calm down soon, she was going to end up having a panic attack and need to be hospitalized herself.

"Well, all we can do now is monitor her," Dr. Duffy informed them crossing the room. "I'll let you know if there's any change."

"Thank you very much," Mick told her as she left.

"Why did she lie for me?" Beth's strangled out once they were alone. "Why didn't she tell them I did it?"

"She wouldn't want the police involved," Mick assured her.

Beth stared at Coraline on the bed. She was hooked up to an array of machines with various tubes checking her heart rate and respiration. She looked very far removed from the scary lady of Beth's nightmares. That woman, that vampire, had loomed ten feet tall with superhuman strength. Her dark lips had stood out against her pale skin. The woman lying motionless before her looked small and fragile. Her features were dull and her color washed out.

"I can't believe I almost killed her!" Beth blurted in a low voice. "I…" her voice caught, "I thought for sure she was a vampire."

"You couldn't have known." Mick's voice was quiet. "I didn't even know." He walked over to the bed and stood there, looking down at Coraline. His face was a mask of sadness and regret.

Beth's heart twisted painfully in her chest. "You still care for her, don't you?"

He lifted his head and his eyes met Beth's. "She was my wife." There was a hint of defensiveness in his tone.

Beth shot a quick glance at Coraline and then looked back at Mick. "You really think there's some kind of cure?"

"Coraline was a vampire for years," he said. "Now she's as human as you are. Something changed her back," he paused and took a breath. "And if she dies I'll never know what that was or how she did it."

As she watched him turn his attention back to Coraline, Beth said a silent prayer that it wouldn't come to that.

* * *

><p>You know how after you had a terrible traumatic experience, you want to say, "That's it! I'm done for a while. Nothing else can happen right now."? It doesn't seem fair that no one is actually listening when you make those declarative statements. Or if they are listening, they decide they're just going to pile on anyway.<p>

After visiting the hospital with Mick, I went into Buzzwire to get some work done. I thought it would be a good distraction and help get my mind off of Coraline. Because of hospital visiting hours, we hadn't been allowed to see her until afternoon. We stayed for as long as they would let us. Mick was hoping that she'd wake up and talk to him, but it didn't happen.

By the time I'd left the hospital it was evening. When I reached work, the evening had progressed toward late.

I hadn't been there long, when my editor Maureen coasted out of her office toward my desk. "Great. You're still here. That's why I love you."

Now I like my boss, but I wasn't particularly in the mood for chit chat. This is especially true given that Maureen doesn't really chat long, she switches into editor giving out assignment mode fairly rapidly.

Maureen asked a few questions about poor Morgan in the hospital, before revealing her real purpose for visiting me. "I've got something for you, explosion in a downtown office building. It took out the top floor."

"Terrorists?" I asked, confused. That didn't make much sense though. Why attack an office building at night? It would be empty.

And most would be, assuming it had normal occupants who liked to do things during the day. This building, I was about to find out, did not have normal occupants. I'd been in this building recently, just yesterday in fact.

Maureen shook her head and made a face. "No. Apparently, the target was this big shot hedge fund trader." She tapped a few buttons on my computer to pull up a picture of the victim.

The picture appeared on the screen and I stopped breathing for a moment. "Oh, my God! That's Josef Kostan. He's a friend of Mick's," I told her. But I just saw him I thought, as if that somehow made the attack impossible.

Maureen smiled, apparently oblivious to my horror. "Okay, I take it back. This is why I love you."

I looked up at her. "Was he there?"

A note of regret entered Maureen's voice. "Afraid so. No survivors." She switched back to business as she stood up. "Have a cameraman meet you down there. I want to know the who, what and why."

"I can't cover this story," I protested. "This guy's a really good friend of Mick's."

"Great." Maureen told me, ignoring my argument. "Use that to show some vulnerability. Tracking says women 18 to 34 find you a little harsh."

I stared wordlessly as Maureen went back to her office. I wasn't thinking about the story or the cameraman. I just couldn't imagine how Mick was going to handle this.

* * *

><p>We made it down to Josef's office in record time. My brain was swirling. How could Josef be gone? It didn't seem possible. Vampires don't die, that's the whole point of their existence.<p>

They don't die of natural causes I reminded myself. If you want to kill one however… my brief association with Mick had proven that very possible on multiple occasions.

I didn't even try to call Mick. I assumed in all likelihood he would already be at Josef's office, and I was right.

Josef's office was an unrecognizable scorched shell. Debris were strewn everywhere, windows blown out and a hole in the ceiling exposed steel girders and insulation. Mick was crouched on the floor in the center of the room. He was holding something in his hand, studying it.

Not wanting to intrude on his thoughts, I stood nearby and waited for him to speak first. As always is the case, he seems to sense when I'm nearby, smell or hearing I guess, and he started talking to me without looking in my direction.

"It was poker night. I was supposed to be here." His voice was both sad and bitter at the same time.

"I am so sorry," I said.

"Yeah, me too," Mick responded in a low, flat tone.

"Who could have done this?" I couldn't help asking. "I mean they used fire, they must have known he was a vampire."

"Josef had enemies, but this…" Mick stood up. "Who could hate him this much?"

Mick gave me a short glance before something across the room attracted his attention. My heart sunk as his brow furrowed at the sight of my camera man. When he turned back to me his eyes were blazing.

"You brought your camera guy?" He sounded incredulous. "That's why you're here? You're on a story?"

"Look, Maureen sent me," I hurried to explain.

I could see his whole face drop before he turned his back on me. "Beth, just go away."

His request stung. I wanted to make him understand. I hadn't been given a choice. "Listen, they were going to send someone here to cover this story. Wouldn't you rather it was me?"

My words got him to look at me at least. It wasn't the reaction I was hoping for. Now anger was planted firmly on his face and his venom was directed at me. "My friend just died, I don't really want to talk to you right now," he spat out. He paused, and then shook his head as if reconsidering. "No, actually you stay and get your story. You do your job, I'll do mine."

He stormed past me out of Josef's wrecked office, leaving me standing there, choking down too many emotions to count or catalogue.

* * *

><p>Beth was sitting on the floor, her legs crossed Indian style and her back against a wall, in the hallway outside Mick's apartment. After hurrying to complete her segment, filmed downstairs on the street in front of Josef's office building, she had driven herself here automatically, without even planning it. It was just where she had ended up.<p>

It would seem that late night visits to each other's dwellings had become a pattern between herself and Mick. After all, it had been his turn to call on her last night. If only these visits were under pleasanter circumstances, and weren't necessitated by Beth's need to apologize… again.

His car had not been in the garage tonight, so she hadn't knocked, but decided to wait for him. It was only twenty minutes or so when the elevator doors opened and Mick stepped out. His eyes landed immediately on her face and he paused midstride.

Her stomach rolled with a queasy sense of unease. It had been doing this since yesterday, had never entirely stopped, but only abated for a short while last night after Mick's visit. It flipped again now as she got to her feet.

"Hey." Her voice came out soft.

"Hey," he responded, resuming his walk toward her. His eyes moved away around the hallway and then back to her face.

"Look, I'm really sorry…" Her words tumbled out as he stopped in front of her, only arm's length away.

He cut her off, shaking his head, his expression apologetic. "I overreacted."

"I shouldn't have brought a camera into Josef's office," she continued. "I'm so sorry."

Mick stared at her without saying a word for a short while. When he finally spoke his voice was thick, as if he was having trouble composing himself.

"This is just really hard for me. All of it." He took a breath. "Coraline's in the hospital. Josef's dead."

"I know he meant a lot to you," she told him.

"I've outlived so many of my human friends, you'd think I'd be used to losing people by now."

She kept her eyes on his face. "Yeah, but losing Josef is different."

"He survived four hundred years, four hundred years." Mick said in an awed, disbelieving voice, narrowing his eyes. "He saw so much," he hitched in a breath, "so much history. He was history. And now he's gone." As Beth watched Mick's eyes filled with tears, and he gulped in more air, working to hold back his emotions. "And that loss to me is so enormous that…" His voice broke and he paused, blinking a few times. "I'm not even sure if I know how to mourn him."

Beth's heart broke to see him struggling. She took a quick step forward, closing the distance between them, reaching out. She grabbed him, wrapping her arms up and around his shoulders. He didn't resist her embrace, but clung tightly to her, his own hands gripping her back. He dropped his head down to her neck and she pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

They stood that way for a long moment, holding on to each other for support. She could feel his body shake with every shuddering intake of breath. When she let go and stepped back, he still held her upper arms and gave her a small, warm smile.

"I need a drink."

Beth gave a short laugh and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too." Her own eyes were damp now.

Mick released her and walked to his office entrance. Using a key fob to unlock and open the door, he moved swiftly through as it swung in. Beth was following a few steps behind, and was therefore right next to him when he pulled up short and froze, having only gotten a short distance inside.

Beth followed Mick's stare, her head turning to regard his desk and the person seated behind it. Wearing a black silk bathrobe with white pin stripes, Josef was lounging casually in the big leather desk chair. He looked away from the computer monitor over to them with a pleasant expression.

"Oh, are you just going to stand there all day or you going to help me find out who killed me?" The corners of Josef's mouth ticked up in a sheepish closed mouth smile.

* * *

><p>It took Mick and me a few minutes to recover from the shock of seeing Josef alive and well.<p>

I was afraid the well part might not last too terribly long. After Mick's initial obvious relief to have his friend back, it looked like Mick might deck Josef for scaring the hell out of us. In Josef's defense though, he did point out that any human in his office should have been dead, so he couldn't very well walk up to anyone at the scene without risking some tricky questions. Things like, how could you possibly have survived that? I'm just thanking God for the regenerative physical abilities of vampires. You'd never tell by looking at Josef that he'd been almost incinerated.

Owing to the late hour, I left Mick and Josef alone to argue and went home to get some sleep. Before I left, Mick did ask if I was coming back in the morning. I assured him I'd be there.

In the morning Mick looked rested and was in a relatively good mood. Josef, having changed out of the bathrobe and into some suitable clothes, was prowling around Mick's apartment with displeasure like a caged animal.

We reviewed the surveillance footage from Josef's building. The cameras had captured pictures of the hitman, disguised as a janitor, heading upstairs right before the explosion. Josef didn't recognize him. Mick had already come to the conclusion, based on the type of firepower, that this was a professional assassination attempt and the man on the footage was probably ex-military.

We left Josef in the apartment with several vehement threats from Mick to under no circumstances go anywhere or contact anyone. This was for his own safety Mick reminded him.

After some help from my friend Sam at Buzzwire, a top notch computer hacker, we identified the hitman and the source of his money. He'd been paid by a John Whitley.

Mick called Josef who informed him over the phone that the name didn't ring any bells.

Perhaps that was our first mistake. We should have waited to question Josef about Whitley in person.

By the time we got back to Mick's apartment, Josef was long gone.

* * *

><p>"I'm trying to help him! How hard is that to understand? He's already died once this week. That wasn't enough?" Mick was furious, growling as if Josef were still here to listen to him. They were standing in the kitchen of Mick's empty apartment, no sign of Josef.<p>

"You told me that everyone has secrets. Josef must have some too right?"

Mick looked back at her. He was standing behind the kitchen island, both hands placed flat on the surface. "I'm sure he does. But whatever it is he's refusing to tell me this time is going to get him killed."

"Did you find anything else at his house or his office?"

Mick nodded. "An empty safe in his office. He must have been in a hurry because he left its door wide open. He cleaned it out."

"Money?"

"And fake passports, ID's I'm guessing. Most vamps have a stash somewhere, in case they need to disappear in a hurry. I don't know many people more paranoid than Josef so…" His voice trailed off and he blew out an irritated breath. His face was tense with frustration when he looked back at her. "Did you get anything else?"

"Yeah," she told him. "I checked out that name." She picked up her phone to pull up the information she'd stored there. "I found a John Whitley in New York. He's 93. Wealthy real estate developer. At one point he owned half the Upper East Side."

"That must be our guy."

"No family," she continued. "His wife died two years ago. He had a daughter who disappeared in 1955." She looked up from her phone and over at Mick. "You think Josef's after him?"

Mick let out a huff. "Josef's sense of justice is pretty much an eye for an eye," he told her in a dry voice. He started walking around the island, crossing the apartment to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"New York," he shot back at her over his shoulder. "I have to stop Josef before he does something stupid."

"I'm going with you." The words were out of her mouth before she'd stopped to think about them.

Mick paused with one hand on the stairway banister. He met her gaze, his eyebrows drawn together quizzically but not displeased. "Why?" he asked.

"To stop you from doing something stupid." She gave him a smile.

He let out a short laugh. "Uh-huh. Okay."

Mick's startled as his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and hurried to answer. "Hello?"

Beth watched him expectantly as he handled the call. _Well?_ His eyes hit on hers then jerked away. His expression changed and darkened.

"Yes, of course. I'll be there." He hung up the phone and looked over at Beth. "I have to stop by the hospital before we go. Coraline's awake."

In the confusion today, she'd almost forgotten about Coraline, almost. "Sure, right, of course." She tried to give him a breezy, casual reply.

"I'll pick you up at your place, alright?" he asked her. Judging by his expression, he was nervous that she'd change her mind.

She nodded. "Okay."

He watched her for a second longer, before turning and bounding up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Alright, so maybe I need to do a better job of looking before I leap, or thinking before I open my mouth as it were.<p>

When he looks at me like he wants me around, like he's happy to see me, I don't want to walk away. I also admit that I'm intrigued by Josef. I would like to know what's going on. Blame it on my instincts as a reporter.

Or maybe it's just that I went and hugged him again.

There is that too.

I keep trying to tell myself he doesn't see me that way. Not the way he sees Coraline, the way he's attracted to her. She is the last person on earth he should be with, and I think he knows that, but it doesn't manufacture an attraction to me that doesn't exist.

And then there's Josh to consider. I have a boyfriend that I'm supposed to be with, instead of chasing after Mick like a lost puppy.

I did consider Josh in all this didn't I?

Yeah…. About that….

* * *

><p>Beth had just finished zipping up her suitcase when she heard the knock on her apartment door. She pulled the handle up and wheeled the bag behind her before yanking the door open. She'd been about to tell Mick that she was all set to go, but the words stuck in her throat. It wasn't Mick standing on her doorstep. A sick twist of guilt settled into her chest.<p>

"Josh?" One hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh God, I…" she stammered, "I completely forgot. Its movie night, isn't it?"

Josh's face was grim. "We need to talk."

_I don't like the sound of that._ "Come in," she told him, stepping out of his way to allow him to enter.

Josh's walked past her. As he stopped his eyes moved from Beth's face, down to her bag and back. His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Are you… you going somewhere?"

"Yes," she replied, trying to make her voice sound casual. "To New York. You know the Josef Kostan story."

"I thought that was wrapped up." His face betrayed clear surprise.

"No." She shook her head.

Josh paused for a second. "So, are you going alone?" he asked.

Beth didn't turn her head or waver from his stare. "No," she told him.

"You and Mick, I bet, huh?" he asked. She nodded silently in return. "When were you going tell me?"

His calm, rational tone of voice was unnerving and made her feel worse than if he'd just gotten upset. "I was going call you from the air…" Her voice caught as she realized how terrible that sounded. "Airport," she finished.

"Look," he shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture. "This isn't working."

"It's just a case," she tried to assure him.

"A case?" Josh's voice ticked up on the offending word.

"A story," Beth hurried to correct, "whatever, work."

Josh nodded a little. His face and body were cramped with tension. He met her eyes again and took a few steps toward her. He stood so close that he was almost staring down at her. "Look me in the eye, right now, and tell me you don't have feelings for him." He paused and took a breath. His eyes bored into hers. "Look me in the eye and tell me that."

She opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. _What am I going to say to him? He's right._

Another knock came at the door, and she winced. Josh took a step back from her, but not before she saw hurt and disappointment flash across his face.

Beth turned and went to the door, answering it. Mick was standing on the other side.

"You ready?" he asked. She swung the door wider so that he could see inside the apartment. Mick's eyes flicked over behind her spotting Josh, and his expression changed. He must have registered the strain in both their demeanors. "Oh… I can…" he paused looking from Beth to Josh. "I'll come back."

"No." Beth and Josh both replied at the same time. Beth's gaze jumped to Josh, not expecting that response.

"I was just leaving," Josh said. "You two have fun in New York." He brushed past her and strode out of the apartment without a second look.

Beth stayed frozen in place, trying to get a handle on herself. She felt like she wanted to cry and couldn't bring herself to look at Mick. _What am I doing? _

Mick interrupted her thoughts. "If you need to stay…"

"No, it's okay," she replied in a clipped, brisk voice. "Let's go."

She grabbed her bag and left the apartment, locking the door behind her.

* * *

><p>We took the redeye flight and arrived in New York early the next morning, a little past dawn. I wish I could say I rested, but I didn't really. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Josh's face and heard his voice, daring me to tell him how I really feel about Mick. Either that or he was expecting me to lie to him about it.<p>

I couldn't manage to do either one.

I spent some of the night staring out the window. With only a few wisps of clouds in the sky, you could see the landscape far below, illuminated by a bright full moon.

I thought a few times Mick wanted to say something to me. I'd catch him looking over from the seat next to me every once in a while, watching. I thought I saw a question written on his face, but when I'd look over at him, he'd turn his head away. I guess he decided to let it be.

I'm grateful he chose not to ask. I can't imagine what he'd want to know, or what I'd answer right now.

When we got to New York, we took a taxi to the hotel where Mick had reserved rooms. By midday, I had changed and we were on our way to try and see John Whitley.

The doorman at Whitley's building refused to let us in. I put on my best sweet girl pout and batted my eyelashes but he wasn't budging.

For mere mortals this would have posed a serious problem. For Mick it was only a minor speed bump. After a trip around the back of the building and a leap twenty feet into the air to retrieve the fire escape ladder, we were climbing up to meet John Whitley. And hopefully, we were getting closer to some answers about why Whitley would want Josef dead.

* * *

><p>Beth climbed into John Whitley's apartment through a window from the fire escape, with Mick following behind her.<p>

Whitley's apartment occupied an entire floor of his building and was furnished the way you would expect with dark wood paneling, large leather furniture, and rich oriental carpets. It was the epitome of wealth in the first half of the twentieth century, heavy and masculine. Curtains on all the windows obscured the light, making the space dim.

They had only been inside a minute when their presence was registered with alarm by a medical attendant wearing a white hospital jacket.

The attendant's eyes grew wide when he saw them and he rushed over to an older man that Beth presumed to be his employer. "Mr. Whitley? There are people here. I am not sure how they got in." He gave a nervous look back at Mick and Beth, standing nearby. "Should I call the police?"

Whitley was seated in an arm chair, his small frame dwarfed by its massive size. A clear mask was fitted over this nose and mouth, attached by plastic tubing to an oxygen tank.

"Mr. Whitley," Beth interjected before they could be tossed out, "We think you might be in danger."

Whitley hesitated for a moment, staring at Beth, before reaching up to remove the oxygen mask. "No, leave us." He gave a quick directive to his attendant, waving his hand in dismissal.

Mick walked over to stand in front of Whitley. "You hired a hitman to kill Josef Kostan?" Mick asked.

"No," Whitley shook his head, looking up at Mick.

"Sir, we have evidence." Beth told him and Whitley's eyes shifted to Beth's face.

"I hired him to kill Charles Fitzgerald," Whitley continued.

"Who?" Mick sounded confused.

"That was his name when he took my daughter from me." Whitley explained in a harsh voice. "When he murdered her." Whitley pointed to a side table, near his chair. "Sara was 21 when that picture was taken." He gestured toward a black and white photograph of a pretty young woman. "That was 1955. In a few months she was gone."

Mick picked up the framed photograph to look at it before turning back to Whitley. "You think Josef is responsible for the death of your daughter."

"I know what he is," Whitley snarled. "He's a monster. He took my daughter from me."

Mick set the photograph down before giving Whitley a grim stare. "Well, you better tell me all about Josef," Mick told him, "so I can find him before he finds you."

Whitley's eyes left Mick's, and Beth thought she could see panic rising in the old man's face. The pace of his breathing increased and nasty whistle came from his chest.

"There." Whitley nodded in the direction of the side table. "In that drawer, bring me that diary."

Mick followed Whitley's gaze and opened the compartment, lifting out an old book in a dark brown binding. "

Mick handed Whitley the book. Beth watched as the Whitley's expression grew warm and wistful as he tenderly ran his hand over the diary's cracked cover. "This was my Sara's. My wife kept it from me until she died two years ago." He looked back up at them. "My daughter was a beautiful, innocent, trusting young woman. Her only mistake was falling in love with Fitzgerald." Whitley's voice filled with acrimony. "He exploited her love. He seduced Sara and then he killed her. I couldn't protect her then, but I can avenge her now," he finished.

Beth met Mick's eyes quickly, trying to gage his thoughts. His features were set in concentration.

"So, is that all in the diary?" Beth asked.

"Read for yourself." Whitley held out the diary in Beth's direction. She stepped forward and took the book from him.

"So, you hired someone to kill him." Mick said.

"It took me two years to find Fitzgerald." Whitley told them, loathing evident in his words. "I can't die knowing that monster still walks this earth."

As Whitley finished, his body was seized by a coughing fit. His thin shoulders shook as he struggled to regain control. Blood appeared on his lips, and the attendant returned, informing them that they would need to leave.

They gave the attendant quick nods of understanding. Beth took Sara's diary, still in her hand, and hid it behind her back as she and Mick made their way to exit the apartment and then the building.

* * *

><p>A short while later they were seated on a park bench as Beth went through the diary, pointing out important sections to Mick.<p>

"Hey, listen to this," she told him and began to read out loud.

"It doesn't matter to me what he is. I love him. I want to be with him even though he tells me it's impossible. I know our love can overcome any obstacle. I want him to turn me into what he is."

At this last sentence Beth's eyes popped up briefly to catch Mick's reaction, but with his sunglasses on she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

She continued. "He says it's dangerous, but I don't care. I'm not afraid. It's the only way we can be together forever. I'm ready." She stopped reading and closed the book. "That was the last entry," she told Mick. "So, Josef never mentioned any of this? Never told you about Sara?" she asked.

"No." He shook his head. "I knew he lived here in New York before he moved to Los Angeles." From the tone of his voice, Beth gathered that Mick was very surprised by this new information about his friend. "Vamps tend to move around," he said. "We can't stay in one spot for too long."

"You have." She pointed out, cocking her head to one side. "You stayed in L.A."

He looked at her sideways. "I like the weather."

"Really?" She gave him a smile, not buying his explanation. He caught her expression and his mouth also curved up a little.

Her cell phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her bag. "It's Sam," she told Mick as she answered the phone. "Hey, what did you find out?"

Sam told her that Josef had been picked up by a limo and taken to a Manhattan address. She was texting Beth the address right now. Beth gave her thanks to Sam and with that, she and Mick were off to find a taxi and Josef.

As they got into the taxi and it pulled away, neither of them saw the tall figure, clothed head to toe in black, watching them with interest from the driver's seat of his car. As their taxi pulled out into traffic, and made its way across town through the congested tangle of vehicles, the car was never far behind.

* * *

><p>Mick and Beth's taxi pulled up in front of an attractive Greenwich Village brownstone. They climbed the stone steps leading to the front door and rang the bell. When the door opened, a woman politely asked if she could help them.<p>

"Yes," Mick responded, "we're looking for Josef Kostan."

The woman shook her head, her friendly expression unchanging. "No one by that name is here."

"Are you sure?" Beth's eyebrows raised. "A limo service just dropped him off at this address."

"I don't know what to tell you," she responded. Her lack of reaction or confusion gave Beth the distinct impression that she knew exactly who they were talking about.

"What about Charles Fitzgerald?" Mick asked her. "Do you know him?" At this the woman's forehead wrinkled.

She didn't have time to say anything else, as Josef came up to stand behind her. "It's okay, Paula," he told her. "You can let them in." Paula stepped aside, heading back inside the house.

Josef did not look surprised, a little embarrassed maybe, but also almost relieved to see Mick, Beth thought.

"You can run, but you can't hide," Josef said, meeting Mick's gaze.

"Not from me… Charles." Mick put heavy emphasis on Josef's old name.

They followed Josef inside the house, walking down a long hallway, with Josef leading the way. "So, we had a pretty interesting talk with John Whitley." Mick directed toward Josef's back. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Josef stopped and turned to face them in front of a set of closed double doors. His right hand rested on the doorknob, pausing.

Having not known Josef for very long, Beth found herself studying his face, trying to understand his odd demeanor.

_I wonder what could cause such a strong reaction in him. _It hit her that they were about to find out.

Josef pushed the door, letting it swing open. He appeared to take a deep breath, then entered the room.

They walked into a master bedroom, complete with a king sized bed. It wasn't the room's furnishings that struck her though.

Lying in the center of the bed, covered from the waist down by a quilt, was a beautiful young woman. Her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping. Beth recognized her right away as the woman from John Whitley's photograph, his daughter.

"Mick, Beth," Josef turned his head toward them. His motions were slow, as if dazed. He met their eyes. "This is Sara. Sara Whitley." He looked away, back to the bed.

A shocked silence filled the room.

When Josef spoke again, he said a few words to Paula, the woman who had answered the door was waiting on the far side of the room, giving her permission to leave them alone. After Paula left, Josef walked over to stand by Sara's bedside. Beth gave quick glance towards Mick. He met her eyes for a second, looking as stunned as she felt. After a hesitation, he moved closer to the bed and Beth took that as her cue to approach as well.

"What's wrong with her?" Beth asked quietly.

"She's been in a coma," Josef responded in a despondent voice, "since 1955."

"Oh, my God!" Beth exclaimed under her breath. "She hasn't aged." Not only did Sara appear to have not aged in over fifty years, but she gave the impression of health. Her skin was pink and glowing, her red hair shown. She was quite beautiful despite her condition.

"Yeah," Josef answered her. He walked behind Beth and Mick, crossing around the end of the bed till he stopped at the other side. He could get closer to Sara from there Beth thought.

"I met her at Grand Central Station," Josef began. "We were both waiting for our train and she asked me for a light. And the moment I looked into her eyes, I knew that she was something special. I knew better than to get involved with a human." Josef's gaze flicked up to meet Mick's. "I know it was a mistake, but I did it anyway. For months, I thought I was keeping my secret from her. But then I discovered that she knew." Josef paused and took a breath, looking back down at Sara. "She knew and she didn't care," he continued.

Josef's eyes were warm and fixed on Sara's face. "That was the happiest day of my life."

"So, you were in love with her," Beth said.

"I wasn't looking for it, believe me." He looked up at Beth. "The longer we were together, the more I began to think that the whole reason that I became a vampire was, you know, so I could live long enough to meet her." His eyes shifted to Mick. Josef's face held a sadness and heartbreak that was painful to watch. "It took me over 350 years to find her," his voice caught, "and only a year to lose her forever."

It was hard for Beth to imagine what Josef had gone through over the last fifty years, and yet he hadn't even told his closest friend. Beth's brain was working to process Josef's story, but there was still something she was missing. "So, what happened to her?" Beth asked.

Josef didn't have a chance to respond. Mick answered for him. "He tried to turn her."

Beth's eyes widened and her heart sped up. Her eyes jumped to Mick's face. Mick was staring at Josef, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she'd been begging me to do it for months," Josef told them. "I didn't want to, but she wouldn't let it go." He gave a short, forlorn laugh at the memory. "She knew that it was the only way we could be together. So, I tried. I drained her," Josef sucked in a breath. "I fed her my blood, but it didn't work." He clenched his teeth. "She never came out of it. She got lost somewhere in between." Josef looked away, at the wall, suddenly unable to meet Mick's eyes.

"Josef," Mick said his friend's name. "This… all this… It's not your fault." Mick's voice was firm and certain.

Josef appeared to hear Mick for a moment. "I know," he replied, but then his face contorted. "But it is," he bit out. "I'm the one that did this to her."

"You've been looking after her ever since," Beth cut in.

"I couldn't let her go." Josef shook his head, turning away from the bed and crossing the room. "Maybe someday medicine, a miracle, something will bring her back."

Beth was standing on Mick's right side near the bed. Josef had stopped moving, one hand lifted to his face, lost in thought. They all jumped as the loud crash of shattering glass filled the room. Beth only caught a glimpse of a man dressed in black, flying through a window on the far side of the room. Before she could think to take any independent action, Mick's arms were around her, as he flung them both to the floor.

The sharp crack of gunfire echoed from the direction of the broken window, and she could hear the loud thud of Josef's body as he fell. Mick was lying on top of her, shielding her. "Stay down," he whispered. "Okay?" She gave a quick bob of her head to indicate she understood.

She couldn't see Josef, the bed had blocked her view, but a strange man's voice rang out. "Die vampire!" and a loud cry of pain from Josef followed. "Why won't you die?" the man growled.

"It doesn't always work like that." That was Mick's voice.

She could hear the crack and crunch of breaking bones, along with grunts of pain, as Mick struggled with the attacker. Finally there was a loud snapping noise and another sound of a body landing hard, then the commotion was over, just footsteps.

_Please God, let those be Mick's footsteps._

She lifted her head and squirmed over on her belly to see around the bed. In front of her, Josef was lying on the floor, body twitching and gasping for air, with a thick wooden stake protruding from his chest. Mick crouched over him, grasping the piece of wood. He gave a strong yank, and the stake slid out, extracting a loud groan from Josef who threw his head back with a grimace.

"Thanks" Josef muttered to Mick in a weak voice, once he'd recovered enough to speak.

"You're welcome," Mick replied.

Mick's eyes ran across the room, catching Beth watching them. He dropped the stake on the carpet next to Josef, and stood up, quickly crossing the room to her. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him. _I'll stop shaking in a few hours_.

Mick leaned down, holding out his hand to her. She grabbed it and let him help her up. Once she was on her feet, he kept a firm grip on her left arm. He ran his eyes down the length of her body, his face tight with worry.

"Mick…" He lifted his head and met her eyes. "I'm fine, really." One corner of her mouth curved up a little. He stared back at her, eventually exhaling a breath and nodding.

Her heart was still racing and she felt unsteady on her feet, but she wasn't hurt. She looked over to Josef, now sitting up, still on the carpet. He was facing away from her and she could see three large red bullet holes in his back. Her stomach lurched and she swayed.

Mick's gaze, which had gone over to Josef, shot back to her face, alarmed. "I'm fine," she repeated again. "Just going to go find a bathroom."

"Okay," Mick told her, reluctance in his voice, but he let go of her arm.

She turned and tried to walk out the room without falling down.

* * *

><p>A good while later Beth returned from the bathroom. Josef was up and talking to Mick, buttoning up a fresh shirt. As she entered the bedroom Mick appeared to be focused on his conversation with Josef.<p>

_What are they talking about I wonder?_ She tried to place the expression on Mick's face. He was looking at Josef as if he was trying to answer a difficult question. Whatever it was he had wanted to say could wait apparently, as his eyes shifted from Josef over to her, and he didn't speak.

"Are you okay?" she asked Josef.

He gave her a smile and nodded. "I will be." He left Mick and walked back toward the bed. "That bastard staked me," he shot over his shoulder, making a face and almost laughing.

"Are you coming back to L.A. with us?" Beth asked.

Josef looked down at Sara. "I'm going to stay here a few more days."

Beth watched Josef's face, the soft glow in his eyes as he stared at the woman lying on the bed. She reached into her bag. "You should have this." She held out Sara's diary to Josef. "She really loved you."

Josef took the diary from her, as if mesmerized. She felt Mick's hand brush her arm, and she turned to follow him out of the bedroom, leaving Josef and Sara alone.

* * *

><p>Lust, anger, love, loneliness, an ache inside that can't be filled or healed. You thought you wanted answers. You were sure that you needed to know the truth. If there is one thing the reporter in me always wants, it's to keep searching for more.<p>

Knowing doesn't always help though. I didn't know Mick until a few months ago, not consciously, although my soul feels like it will always and has always known him.

If I hadn't met Mick the night I walked through that fountain barefoot, maybe I'd be happy with Josh.

Before tonight I didn't know about Josef and Sara, his lost love. Now that I've seen them, I'm terrified by the idea of a woman whose only crime was wanting a life with the man she cared about and ended up in a coma at age 21, ageless and beautiful.

Maybe if I didn't know that Sara asked Josef to turn her so that she could be with him…

Maybe if I didn't know about the possibility of the cure…

If I didn't know about Coraline, hadn't seen them together, maybe I wouldn't be looking at Mick and wondering how he really feels about me.

So many maybes, from what I thought I knew.

Maybe I just need to unknow it all, and go home.

* * *

><p>Beth descended the stairs outside Josef's house, and started walking along the sidewalk next to Mick with her head down.<p>

"Hey. You alright?" Mick's voice reached into her thoughts, and she looked over. He was watching her, concern written on his face.

"Yeah," she nodded.

He kept looking at her, waiting for her to continue she guessed. "I just can't stop thinking about Sara." She paused taking a breath. "She was so in love with him."

"Yeah," Mick agreed with her, turning his head away. "It's terrible."

"Do you really think there's a cure?" she asked, glancing sideways at him.

"Coraline made herself human. Is that a cure?" He shrugged his shoulders and wobbled his head from side to side. "I don't know. I can't say."

Mick turned his head to the street. A taxi was approaching, its yellow dome light turned on to indicate it was empty. Mick raised his hand and called out to stop the car. "Come on," a smile rose to his face. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the street. "Let's go do something."

"Like what?" She could hear surprise echoing in her voice.

He stopped in the street. "I don't know," he grinned at her, "something fun, something quintessentially New York. We'll catch a set at the Village Vanguard, with a couple of martinis, a steak for the lady. Just you and me on the town. Come on." His enthusiasm was infectious and she smiled back at him despite herself.

The taxi stopped in the street in front of them, and Mick hurried to it, pulling open the passenger door.

Beth checked her watch as she walked up to the taxi, stopping on one side of the door. Mick stood across from her. "I don't know, but our flight leaves in a couple of hours."

"So, we'll take a later flight." His eyes were on hers and he was still smiling.

"Look, I don't know. I…" she stammered and touched his hand. "I didn't leave things very well with Josh. I do think I need to get home."

As she watched, his face dropped, crestfallen, but he recovered quickly, nodding his head as if he understood and it was no big deal. "Yeah, Of course."

"But I'll drop you," she offered biting her lower lip, still holding his hand .

"No, it's okay. I'll walk." He gave her a weak smile. "It's a good town for it."

"Okay," she managed to say.

She let go of his hand and sat down in the taxi. Mick closed the door for her.

She looked up into his face from her side of the window. He was staring down at her again. Her heart stung at the loneliness imprinted on his features. He reached out and placed his hand flat on the glass in a longing farewell gesture, and she lifted her own hand to meet his. His mouth curved up slightly before he let go, trailing his fingers away and walking off into the night.

* * *

><p>As the taxi rounded the corner, Beth dropped her head back against the seat. She stayed that way, eyes wide and staring into space. A shudder coursed through her body. After a minute she shut her eyes and a tear rolled down her face. She swiped it away with one hand.<p>

_She loved him so much, and look where it got them. _The haunted cast of Josef's eyes as he talked about Sara replayed in her mind.

Then without warning the image was replaced, Mick standing in a hospital room, staring at Coraline lying on the bed.

And then Josh, _Look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for him._ His face reflected only hurt accusations.

_I can't tell him that. I'd be lying._

A second tear escaped, and she made no move to wipe it away.

Mick's face, morphing from a happy hopeful smile, wanting her to go out on the town with him, to a face on the other side of the taxi window, watching her, lost and lonely. His hand reaching out to touch the glass, and her lifting her own hand to meet it.

_I just wish I knew what you wanted from me… if you want me…_

_And even if you do… does it matter?_


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of episode 11, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

Author's Note: You don't need me to tell you that this was an extremely difficult chapter to adapt into this format, thus the extended length of time getting it done. I really tried my best to do this episode and it's subject justice.

As always, please, please tell me what you think. And regardless, thanks so much for reading.

ps. If you have any concerns about the lack of Beth's POV in this chapter, not to worry, I hope to pick up what I missed from her side in the next one.

* * *

><p>Mick stood in the master bedroom of Josef's New York brownstone, watching his friend gulp down a glass of blood in an attempt to recover from an attack that had involved both bullets and a stake to the heart. Across the room, the body of the dead hitman was stretched out on the floor, his neck snapped. Mick was grateful that he'd been present to help protect Josef. That being said, he was also going to let Josef deal with calling the cleaner in New York to dispose of the intruder.<p>

Mick's eyes roved over to the fourth occupant of the room. Lying comatose in the center of the king sized bed was Sara Whitley, a beautiful young woman with red hair and pale skin, the apparent love of Josef's life and a detail about his history that Josef had neglected to mention. Mick was struggling to reconcile everything he'd thought he'd known about Josef with this new reality.

Mick looked back at him. "All these years, Josef… you ranting how it could never work between us and humans."

_Do you have any idea how much time I've wasted based on your advice?_

Josef stood up from the chair where he'd been sitting, his eyes moving over to Sara as well before meeting Mick's stare. "What happened to Sara is proof that I'm right."

Mick's eyes narrowed, disagreeing. _I refuse to accept that. _"Josef Kostan in love? This is proof that anything is possible."

"Well, love could show you a part of yourself you never knew existed." Josef acknowledged. His voice was pensive and his expression wistful.

"Or a part that you thought you lost forever," Mick added, looking at Sara again.

Mick watched Josef as if through new eyes. A strange sensation of joint heartbreak over Josef's pain and simultaneously, a buoyant lightness ran through him. _What if Beth is my chance at a future? _His heart felt like it was caught in his chest and had tangled itself in knots.

"And then this happened," Josef continued. "I guess the universe had a different plan for me." As he spoke, Josef expression and body language were more relaxed and at ease than Mick had seen in a long while. Mick thought that sharing the story of his relationship with Sara had done him good, even if the tale itself had a sad ending. "I guess who I am, is who I'm supposed to be," he finished. Mick nodded and gave Josef a hint of a smile.

"You going to try and make this thing with Beth work?" Josef asked with his eyes focused on Mick's face, serious. It was an honest question.

Mick couldn't bring himself to answer, could only look back at Josef silently.

"I hope the universe is on your side." Josef told him.

_Me too._

* * *

><p>Josef in love? Where do I even start? He's been my best friend for so long, fifty years. I thought I knew him. I thought because of his example that maybe immortality precluded love, as if living forever eliminated the possibility of those feelings.<p>

Don't get me wrong. I've always known that Josef has a heart. Of course I'd never tell him that. He'd deny it. But plenty of vampires don't give a damn about anyone or anything besides themselves. That's not Josef. He's always looked out for me, had my best interests in mind. It's not that I agree with him all the time, or even most of the time, but he's been a good friend.

Sure, he's had freshies throughout the years, too many to count. There are always a few women in his proximity that have been happy to let him drink their blood, (and do plenty besides that I might add). They are women who keep our secrets and keep him alive. I've never seen him treat them badly. He's shown genuine affection for quite a few of them.

But love?

Now everything has changed. You couldn't see him with Sara, see the way he watched her lying on that bed, motionless and without a voice, and not know love is real. There was so much anguish written on his face.

He tried to turn her. It's hard for me to even fathom the thought. But I've spent so many years hating my life as a vampire. It's the worst prison I could imagine… and maybe that's only because this was imposed on me. I wasn't given a choice. I can't imagine condemning someone I love to this life. For Sara though, to have loved Josef so much that she wanted to be turned…. she was willing to give up her life to be with him.

In the end she paid a high price.

Josef believes that Sara's turning ending badly is proof that love can't work between humans and vampires. I don't think that's true. He's assuming the only way for us to be together is if the human is turned. Maybe, however, if the cure is real…

It's not like he's trying stop me or is encouraging me to run away from Beth. If Sara and Josef could see past their differences and sacrifice so much to be together… how can I justify not trying to have a future with Beth?

For the first time since that moment a few months ago when she recognized me and spoke to me, when my heart stirred with emotion beyond protective instincts, suddenly telling her how I feel doesn't sound like such a ridiculous and pointless exercise. I'm just not sure I even know how to begin.

* * *

><p>Mick was sitting in Beth's apartment in Los Angeles. He'd had an excuse to visit, needing to catch her up on developments with Coraline and wanting to ask for help getting a blood sample analyzed.<p>

While they had been away, Coraline had disappeared from the hospital without a trace. In her condition, he doubted she could have just gotten up and walked out, so he had no idea how she'd managed it or if someone had helped her. In typical Coraline fashion, she hadn't been willing to share any information about the cure nor had she made an effort to contact him. But, he still had the blood he'd drawn from her at his last trip to the hospital.

Honestly, his visit to Beth's apartment today was about more than simply requesting her assistance. Between learning of Coraline's humanity and revelations about Josef and Sara, Mick's emotions felt like a stereo where the volume had been turned up beyond the maximum, everything was amplified. Maybe because of that, when they'd walked out of Josef's house in New York an impulse had taken him and he'd asked Beth to go out on the town with him, an impromptu date. She had looked like she'd felt bad when she'd turned him down, making the excuse that she needed to get back to L.A. and make amends with Josh. It was a painful pill to swallow and had left him flailing to understand what she was thinking and feeling.

Why was their relationship so far like two opposing ocean tides, one always rushing in to fill an empty space, while the other retreated?

Beth was now sitting in her desk chair watching him. Her legs were pulled up so that her hands and chin rested on her knees. He'd already given her the news of Coraline's disappearance.

"So, why did you take Coraline's blood?" Beth asked.

The little glass vial filled with ruby liquid sat in front of him on the kitchen countertop. He hadn't been aware he'd been staring at it and he looked over at Beth. "Answers," he said. "I think it might be the key to the cure."

"You really hate being a vampire, don't you?" she asked.

"Hate's a strong word." He glanced back at the vial, his tone thoughtful. He nodded his head and gave Beth a grim smile. "So yeah, that works."

She sat up in her chair, her eyes still on his face. "It can't be all that bad to live forever," she reasoned. "You'll see things when I'm gone, when everyone's gone," she made an expansive gesture with her hands, "that we can't even imagine now."

"Like what?" he wanted to know, holding back a genuine smile this time. He enjoyed her innocent optimism. _In anyone else this conversation would be irritating, but in Beth somehow it's not._

"Cars that can fly." She gave an example, waving a hand again. "A diet soda that doesn't suck." She wrinkled her nose.

He laughed a little, before swallowing. _If only all that were enough to be worth it. _"Yeah, but it's not so fun to experience things alone."

"So, take a vampire-wife then." She responded with only a slight hesitation.

_Yeah, being with someone doesn't mean I'm any less alone. _Somewhere in the back of his mind it struck him that being near Beth was the only time he didn't feel that way.

"Tried that one." Mick cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Didn't work out so well." He grabbed the blood vial and stood up, intent on changing the subject. "So, are you going to help me with this or not?"

She got up from her chair as well and walked over to him. "Why don't you take that to Guillermo and get a toxicology report?" She sounded perplexed and pointed to the object in his hand.

"Not with this one." He shook his head.

"I have a friend, Dr. Lin, at Bionalysis," she offered.

"Okay, good." He nodded, relieved. "I just think it's better we go outside the vampire nation with this."

"Why?" She wasn't following his reasoning.

His eyes shifted off of her face down to his hands. Without meaning to, he'd been turning the small glass tube over and over. "Well, vampires like me might see this as a cure," he paused and took a breath, "but others might see it as a threat." He met her eyes again.

"Okay." She responded, accepting his explanation without further questions.

From behind him, he could hear footsteps in the hallway, followed by the front door opening. They both turned toward the apartment entrance, just as Josh stumbled through.

The scent of Josh's blood, from a gash on the forehead, reached Mick at the same instant Beth registered Josh's disheveled appearance. His suit was rumpled and stained with dirt. Mick could see no other outward injuries, but Josh's pulse and respiration were elevated. Something had happened to him that much was obvious.

"Oh, my God!" Beth exclaimed, rushing into motion. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Josh didn't answer her, only turned his head and met Mick's eyes. "You mind if I talk to Beth for a moment?" he asked. "Alone?" He stressed the last part.

"Yeah, sure," Mick answered him quickly. "No problem. I'm on my way out."

He was concerned and part of him wanted to offer to help, but he was well aware that he wasn't Josh's favorite person. Josh nodded gratefully at him and he continued walking over to the couch. Mick started towards the front door.

Beth's fingers brushed Mick's arm and she caught his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow at 10, Bionalysis, okay?" He nodded back at her and she turned away to follow Josh. Mick continued out, shutting the door behind him, but not before shooting a look over his shoulder at Beth before he went. She was sitting on a chair in front of Josh… worried.

* * *

><p>At a little after 10am the next morning Mick sat in his car, parked outside Bionalysis. He'd already checked his watch several times. He knew he had the time right, but there was no sign of Beth.<p>

He wondered for the hundredth time what had happened to Josh last night, and if it had anything to do with Beth not being here now. _I hope he's okay._ Being a district attorney was not a job without risk. Any number of bad guys that Josh was trying to prosecute could have a list of reasons to threaten or attack him.

He checked his watch again. Beth was fifteen minutes late. He guessed he'd wait a short while longer, and then go in to look for Dr. Lin on his own.

Mick had spent a good chunk of the plane ride back from New York a few days ago thinking about his relationship with Beth. It had been an impossible train of thought to avoid, particularly since they'd flown out together, and had gone back alone. He kept trying to figure out what he should say to her about his feelings, if anything.

Without warning a memory derailed his thoughts… her kiss, when she'd followed him out to his car and had surprised him, her lips pressing against his like lightning bolt out of the blue sky.

_My girl._

He shut his eyes and exhaled a breath. _Right… and then I told her I thought it was an accident. Smart move._

He opened his eyes and made a command decision. He'd drop off the blood sample and then go check that everything was okay. Anything was better than sitting here with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Seeing Josh bleeding and distressed set off plenty of warning bells, and I really don't enjoy contemplating the possibility of something dangerous going on near Beth. On the other hand, it was clear to me from before we went to New York that Josh and Beth were having trouble. Call me crazy, but I'm guessing I might be partly to blame, so I didn't feel comfortable pressing my luck last night.<p>

That was last night... this morning I need to check on her, especially after she missed our appointment. I went over to her apartment. She eventually answered the door. I could hear Josh inside talking on his cell phone, so I knew he was home, but I knocked anyway. What I didn't expect is the way Beth answered the door.

I guess I should have expected it.

She was only wearing one of Josh's t-shirts. Under other circumstances, I wouldn't object to glimpses of a not entirely dressed Beth. A quick look over at Josh however confirmed he was also only half clothed, wearing pants and no shirt. Add to that how strongly Beth's own scent was mingled with Josh's…

On second thought… maybe coming over here right now was a bad idea.

As Beth looked up at me her eyes widened, first with bewilderment then realization. "What time is it?" she asked.

I told her that it was an hour later than she'd agreed to meet me.

She shook her head, apologizing. I explained that it was okay. I'd dropped the sample with her friend and we could pick it up tomorrow. A flicker of relief crossed her face, but she still looked flustered and distracted. It was right then, as I was about to ask if there was anything else wrong, that I picked up Josh's cell phone conversation in the background.

"No. No excuses, Bobby." Josh was saying into his phone. "I'm serving an arrest warrant today and I need the task squad to have a protection team in place by noon."

"Task squad?" That didn't sound good. I could hear my own voice rising with concern. "Somebody needs police protection?"

"Yes." Beth blinked, her mouth set in a tight line. She let out a resigned huff. "Me. Come in." She waved for me to enter her apartment.

Josh gave me a quick hello, excusing himself to get dressed while Beth began to explain about Josh's case.

Josh had been working on prosecuting a drug king pin from El Salvador named Chemma Tejada. Josh's team had finally gathered enough evidence to prosecute the guy, and was on the verge of arresting him. There had been several interrogations and during the most recent, Tejada had lobbed some barely veiled threats against Josh, should he proceed with the case.

Tejada's reputation for brutality preceded him. Stories of witness's wives mutilated back in his native country, and more recently there were tales of murdered DEA agents here in Los Angeles. Josh had stood up to Tejada's threats, but on the way home from work Josh had been attacked, chased and beaten up by a man riding a motorcycle. He'd left Josh bleeding but alive, with the warning not to accuse innocent men and had dropped a photograph before driving off.

The photograph was of Beth, with a big X drawn through her picture.

At this revelation I could almost physically feel my guts twist as a burst of anger hit me. I'm a little sensitive to threats against Beth. She didn't look so good herself, shifting nervously in her seat and appearing green around the gills as she gave me the details.

She went on to say that under no circumstances was she going to allow Josh to back out of this case on concerns for her safety. I am familiar with the determination in her eyes and the set of her jaw as she said this last part. She means it.

* * *

><p>Beth had retreated to the bedroom to get dressed and Mick was now left alone with Josh discussing the case and the threat against Beth.<p>

"To be honest, I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing," Josh told Mick, "but she keeps insisting."

"Yeah, Beth tends to do that." Mick shot a look toward the bedroom where a now fully clothed Beth was visible through the opening between the sliding doors, making the bed.

Josh made a noise like a laugh under his breath. "She does."

"But she's right." Mick looked back at Josh and held his eyes. "You shouldn't step down."

Josh grit his teeth and nodded. "I'd appreciate it if you keep an eye on her until the task squad gets in place."

"I won't let anything happen to her," Mick said truthfully.

"I know you won't," Josh responded. "Just keep your eyes open. Tejada is ruthless."

"Okay." He understood.

Josh thanked him, and walked away to gather his briefcase for work. As Mick watched Josh go he couldn't help but think, whatever his initial feelings toward Josh had been, there was not a doubt in his mind that Josh loved Beth and wanted only her safety and happiness.

* * *

><p>I hung around Beth's apartment long enough to be sure the police assigned to protect her were in place. I left, reluctantly….<p>

Actually I sat outside in my car watching her place for a while too. She doesn't need to know that. But eventually I did have to get some blood and time in the freezer, so I had to trust the police would do their jobs and I went home.

According to the headlines the next morning Josh had went ahead with arresting Tejada who was now in custody. I won't lie, under the circumstances I was relieved to have an excuse to stay near Beth. I picked her up from her apartment and we went to Bionalysis to get the results from testing Coraline's blood sample.

* * *

><p>"What do you-what do you mean nothing?" Mick could hear the frustration creeping into his voice. <em>There has to be something! "<em>Pharmaceutical drugs, traced botanicals, additional hormones?" He ticked off the list of possibilities for Dr. Lin on one hand, as he stared her down. He could feel Beth watching him rather than Dr. Lin.

Beth's friend Dr. Lin was seated in front of a computer monitor set up at a station in a Bionalysis lab. She shook her head, her expression apologetic. "There's nothing in there that's not supposed to be." She held out the tube containing Coraline's blood sample and Mick grabbed it.

_Damn it. _

"What about unknown substances?" He tried again. "Something you couldn't identify?" He was grasping at straws.

_Come on, this is my best hope. Give me something. _

"Nothing. Not even caffeine." Dr. Lin was focused back on the computer monitor again. "The sample was essentially untainted. I assume it came from a child?" She shot a quick look up at Mick.

_A child? That makes no sense._

"No, why?" he asked.

Dr. Lin swiveled away from the results, to face them. "That's surprising." Her eyebrows rose slightly. "As we get older we tend to accumulate toxins. That blood is pure." She nodded at the sample in Mick's hand. "Almost like new and based on the levels of free radicals, I was positive that was a child's blood sample."

Mick exhaled a breath and grit his teeth. "No." He answered her, his tone short, before turning and stalking a few steps away, attempting to hide his disappointment. _Great, a dead end. _

"Well, thanks Allison." Beth's voice came from behind him.

"Yeah," he looked back at Dr. Lin as well. "Thank you."

"Uh, one more thing." Dr. Lin called after them, stopping them before they could leave. "I said there was nothing unusual in the toxicology. The blood type however is rare."

Now she had his full attention again. He narrowed his eyes. "How rare?"

"Extremely rare." She drew out each word slowly. Her demeanor had perked up as she revealed her discovery. "Less than one person per million has it. Type..."

"A-O Negative," Beth cut her off.

Dr. Lin paused for a second, staring at Beth. "How did you know?"

Mick's gaze landed on Beth's face and he could see her throat working as she swallowed before responding. "That's my blood type," she finally said.

Mick's eyes widened, astonished. _Excuse me… what? _Her eyes darted up to meet his, but quickly jumped back to her friend.

Beth hurried to thank Dr. Lin again. Mick followed suit and they said goodbye.

They made their way down the hall towards the building's exit. Beth's brain was already running ahead with the new information. She started talking once they were out of anyone's earshot.

"Of all the girls Coraline could have kidnapped twenty-two years ago, maybe there is a reason why she singled me out. Perhaps we have the same blood type." Her voice was animated with a lilt of excitement, hoping, he guessed, that they'd at least found out something relevant and useful. "Maybe A-O Negative is connected to the cure."

They reached the exit and he stopped with his hand on the door handle. "Well, I'm not sure about that." He met her eyes as they fastened on to his face, searching. "For a vampire, the best possible blood to consume is fresh human blood from a child that matches the vampire's blood type."

Beth's mouth dropped open and her nose wrinkled up. She let out a small gasp of disgust.

_Yeah, didn't think you'd like that one. _

He turned away from her, opening the door and walking out into the sunshine. Beth followed him.

"So, hang on a second…" she started.

Another sound reached him, and he cut her off. "Wait." _Did I hear that click or did I just imagine it?_

"What?" She was looking back at him, concerned.

"I hear something," he explained.

He focused his hearing. Click, click… metal against metal, the distinctive scrape of a gun being cocked… and just as he was almost sure about what was generating those sounds… BANG!

_Oh my God! _He shoved Beth out of the way, before grabbing her and throwing her to the ground. He landed on top of her, protecting her with his body.

Two more shots rang out, breaking a car window over their heads and sending glass raining down on them.

"Stay down," he ordered her with his mouth near her ear.

He didn't wait for her response, but popped to his feet, flying across the parking lot in the direction of the shots. He vaulted his legs over a fence at the edge of the lot. As he landed on the other side, he spotted a blue cargo van with its door open and a large assault rifle poking out. The shooter immediately started yelling at the driver and the tires squealed as the vehicle sped off.

Mick watched it go, torn between the desire to chase it down, and an aversion to leaving Beth unattended. He only stood for a second, before turning and running back to the parking lot, where Beth was still crouched on the pavement between two cars.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Beth's head snapped up to look at him. She pushed herself to her knees. "You're-you're bleeding. You got hit." Her voice came out in a frightened gush.

_I did?_

His eyes jumped to his shirt, which was indeed stained with a dark sticky spot of red.

_I know I didn't get hit so… _a sick sense of dread hit his stomach.

He lifted his jacket to check the inside breast pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out the glass vile he placed there for safekeeping. The tube was broken and the contents gone.

"It's not my blood," he told Beth. "It's Coraline's."

* * *

><p>While we were in New York last week, Josef was attacked. Not surprising since we knew a hitman had been hired to kill Josef in retaliation for Sara Whitley's murder, her father's assumption regarding her disappearance. When the gunman burst through the window of Josef's house and started firing, my first thought was to protect Beth, and I did.<p>

That was scary enough, but at least I was aware on some level that no one actually intended to kill Beth. This is worse. Someone has taken a hit out on her, and is trying to carry it out.

I got her back to her apartment to clean up. She had scraped her arm on the pavement when I pushed her down out of the path of the bullets. I know the attack on Josef rattled her, but she's a tough girl. In the last six months she's seen so much danger in part from her job as a reporter, but also, I'm ashamed to admit, because of her association with me. All those times though, she recovered so quickly. For once I think the reality of this close call has hit her.

Beth was standing next to the kitchen countertop, a bowl of water in front of her. She was dipping a wash cloth into the water to clean the cuts on her elbow. The color of the liquid was rapidly becoming red as she worked. Mick was standing close behind her, watching her progress. He'd already offered to help, but she'd insisted she could take care of it. Still though, she seemed fine with his proximity to her, having made no mention of either of them moving.

He was grateful she wasn't fighting him on this point. If gunmen really were taking shots at her, he felt better standing next to her than across the room. As it was, he'd have preferred to take her back to his apartment where he knew it would be safer, but seeing as how her relationship with Josh was on the upswing right now, he'd have to settle for protecting her here.

Mick looked over his shoulder as Beth's apartment door flew open and Josh strode through it at a brisk clip.

"I came as soon as I heard." Josh was out of breath and Mick could hear his pulse pounding away at an unhealthy level. He was clearly scared. Mick took a few steps backward out of the way as Josh hurried over to Beth and kissed her quickly. "Are you okay?" Josh asked her in a shaky voice as his eyes scanned her face. "Why didn't you call?"

"I-I wasn't badly hurt." Beth stammered a little as she answered. "And I knew you were still in a hearing so..."

Josh's wide eyes flicked up to Mick. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Mick told him. "Yeah, we both are."

Josh nodded and looked back at Beth. "Well, hopefully you'll be safe now. I brought the protection team with me," he reassured her. Mick looked over to the entryway where a plain clothes detective and two uniformed officers had entered behind Lieutenant Carl Davis. "Beth, Carl brought Commander Murphy and officers Robinson and Clayton to protect you, okay?"

"Hi." Beth gave them a short wave. Her tone stayed flat and her movements were cramped.

Josh turned his attention back to Mick. "Thanks for looking out for her." He met Mick's eyes and his voice rang with sincerity. "Sounds like it was a close call."

Mick's muscles tensed at the memory. "Yeah it was," he managed to respond to Josh. "Real close."

Beth held up her hand next to her head. "This close, actually." She spaced her thumb and forefinger only six inches apart. Her nostrils flared as she exhaled and Mick could see her clench her jaw.

"I am so sorry, Beth," Josh apologized in a low and thick voice. "That must have been terrifying."

Mick thought he saw a spark in Beth's eyes as she looked back up at Josh. "Yeah, it was." She gave Mick only a brief glance before turning away and walking into her bedroom. Josh followed.

Mick was left standing alone in the kitchen, feeling out of place and without a purpose. He'd spent so much time with Beth recently; it felt weird when she walked away. He wondered, when had he started taking her presence next to him for granted? He'd almost forgotten that she was actually with Josh. Seeing them together now highlighted the reality he'd been ignoring.

How many times had Mick told her it could never work between a vampire and a human, tried to drive her away? Maybe seeing Sara had finally driven the point home and she'd given up trying. Funny, it had the opposite effect on him.

It was a really bad moment to realize how much he needed her.

If Beth's intention was privacy, she evidently wasn't aware of the strength of vampire hearing. Even though Beth and Josh were in the next room, Mick could hear every word they were saying.

"Thank God you're alright," Josh's voice reached him. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you."

Beth's reply came without a pause. "I love you too."

There was a stab of pain in his chest. _Since she was a child, I've only wanted her to be happy. If Josh loves her and she loves him, I should be relieved._

But he didn't feel relieved. He only felt sick.

* * *

><p>Mick had been talking to Lieutenant Davis about the case. Tejada really was a seriously dangerous guy to cross. His track record, according to Davis, made most vampires Mick had known look like choir boys.<p>

Beth and Josh emerged from the bedroom with Josh giving a few rushed goodbyes before leaving the apartment to get back to the office. Beth moved to the window and stared down at the street below. Much as Mick hated to admit it, he had no excuse to stay any longer.

Mick walked up behind Beth and touched her shoulder to get her attention. He'd assumed she could hear him coming, but judging by her reaction, he'd been wrong.

She jumped a mile. "Oh God!" she blurted, spinning around to look at him and he stepped back.

_Whoa, it's okay. You're okay. Calm down. _More than her heart rate and her breathing, the murky scent of her own fear, still pouring out through her skin, made him want to do something, anything to help her feel better.

"You scared me." She exhaled a heavy breath, a nervous gaze hitting his face then shooting away.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "You… There's nothing to worry about. The task squad has got you covered."

He couldn't tell if she believed his words of faith in her safety. She still looked tense and uncertain, and she changed the subject. "I'm so sorry about the blood sample." Her eyes met his, guilty, wrapping her arms around her midsection, then went down to the stained shirt in his hand.

"We may still have a chance," he told her. "Most important thing is that you're safe."

Beth looked up at him again and bit her lower lip. She turned away toward the window, watching Josh below on the street, unlocking his car and gave him a wave.

_Yeah, time to go._

Mick was half way across the room, crossing to the apartment's exit when Beth's voice rang out, panicked. "Josh!" she gave a quick shout. "JOSH!"

Her second cry was closer to a terrified scream and Mick didn't pause to ask her what was wrong. _No, no, no! Not happening!_

He sprung into a dash, racing out of the apartment and down the hall toward the door to the street. In less than a minute he was on the verge of escaping the building when the sound of gunfire reached him.

_Shit! _

He dove through the front door out on to the porch and his eyes landed first on the police officer that had been guarding it, sprawled on the sidewalk below. The officer appeared to have been struck by multiple shots and had landed in a heap at the bottom of the building's front steps. Mick's gaze didn't linger on the downed officer, but jumped to the street in front of the building. A dark blue Lexus had stopped there and two masked men carrying hand guns gave Mick a quick look. They must have decided not to delay their retreat further. They didn't fire at Mick, only hurried to get back in their car, slamming the doors shut. The car sped off down the street.

Mick didn't think, only hurtled himself down the front steps in one leap, sprinting after the car as soon as his feet hit the sidewalk. He needed to stop that car. Josh was nowhere in sight, so Mick presumed he was in it with the gun men.

He ran as fast as he could manage and made it down the block, but even with his superior speed, the getaway car was ahead of him, and the distance between them was growing.

A screech of tires off to his left caught his attention. Beth pulled up next to him driving Josh's car and yelled at him to get in so she could pursue the Lexus. He flung open the passenger side door and dropped into the seat. "Go, go, go!" he shouted at her and Beth hit the gas. Josh's car started flying off before he'd shut the door.

"We have to keep it in sight," he warned Beth, panting from a mixture of exertion and adrenaline. She gave a brisk nod and based on the forward motion of the car, she stomped down harder on the accelerator.

The Lexus zigzagged its way out into the crowded city streets of downtown Los Angeles. It darted left, then right, in and out of traffic, but every move it made, Beth stayed on it. Her fingers were curled around the steering wheel, turning white with the force of her grip, but she was keeping up.

Up ahead of them, orange traffic cones blocked the right lane. Mick could see the blue Lexus as it hit the gas and zipped past the construction, but two cars stood between Beth and the lane block. Both cars hit the brakes, effectively stopping Beth's pursuit.

"Dammit!" Beth swore loudly. "Oh my God."

"It's okay," he reassured her, not at all sure if it was the truth. The car inched its way past the construction and out into the free space beyond, but the Lexus was gone.

"Where did they go?" she exclaimed loudly. She leaned forward and ran her eyes over the road ahead. Her voice was strained with effort.

"Pull over," Mick ordered her.

"No!" she shot an angry glare at him and refused. "We need to find them."

"They could have gone three different ways," he argued with her, his own voice rising up in volume. "We don't want to drive in the wrong direction. We have to pinpoint their location and hope that Josh has got his cell phone with him and that it's turned on." He looked over at her, but she was still focused on the road as if he wasn't talking. "Beth!" he said her name again, with more force. "Pull over!"

"Okay. Okay," she gave him another sideways glance and sounded frustrated, but she reluctantly did as he asked, moving the car to a stop on the shoulder. Up ahead of them was the entrance to the freeway. Beyond that, you could continue straight on their current road, or turn left and go off in a different direction.

"Okay, I'm calling him." Beth dialed her cell phone and lifted it to her ear. Mick could hear her breath, rattling in her chest and trying to keep pace with the roaring freight train that was her heart rate. Her eyes landed on Mick's face. "Okay, it's ringing, but it's not going straight to voicemail, so it is turned on."

Mick nodded, pulling out his own phone and dialing. "That's good."

A voice came on the line, peppy and youthful. "Logan Griffin speaking."

"Logan, Mick St. John. I have an emergency," Mick directed into the phone.

"Yeah well, I've got two fried hard drives," came the snarky response. "Life sucks."

Mick grit his teeth. If there was ever a time he wasn't in the mood for Logan's well-meaning bullshit, this was it. "Logan, listen to me. Somebody has been kidnapped, okay? He has his cell phone on him and it's got GPS. I need you to triangulate the location."

"Okay, jeez," Logan finally seemed to grasp the severity of the situation. He cut the crap and started paying attention. "Okay. What's the number?"

Mick gave Beth a look and she fired Josh's cell phone number at him, which he repeated to Logan.

After a brief pause Logan came back on the line. "In about 45 seconds and I should have it."

Beth was holding her own phone to her ear. "Come on, Josh, pick up." Her eyes were squeezed shut.

"30 seconds," Logan's voice gave an update.

_This isn't happening fast enough._ Fear was igniting adrenaline in his own body. "Come on," he prayed.

"Please Josh, pick up." Beth continued the mantra. "Josh!" She sat up straight, her eyes flew open. Mick's head pivoted towards her. "Josh, it's Beth," she said into the phone, tremors coursing through her voice. "We're coming to get you, just hold on, okay?" She sucked in quivering breath, and her eyes met Mick's, frightened. She raised her free hand in a gesture of helpless frustration. Mick could tell all she was hearing through the phone was Josh's muffled attempts to yell. His mouth must have been taped. "We're coming to get you." she repeated. "Hold on."

Logan's voice came again through Mick's cell phone, pulling his attention. "Phone is... it's not on a street. It's at Griffith Park, close to the observatory."

"Go, go, go," he shouted. Beth didn't need to be told twice, slamming the car into drive and jerking it out into traffic. "Make a right up here," he pointed. "They're in Griffith Park."

Beth cradled her phone between her ear and her shoulder. She reassured Josh again that they were on their way and then hung up. "Just get Carl on the phone and tell him where we're going, okay?" She thrust the phone at Mick and he nodded taking it. He pulled up Carl's number from the directory and dialed. Once Carl was on the line he quickly explained where they were going, before disconnecting.

Mick knew the entrance to the park was coming up on their right. "Okay, listen to me. Beth." He turned sideways in his seat, fixing his eyes on her. He needed to make sure she completely grasped his instructions. "When we find them, we have to get up next to them, and then we have to cut them off. We have to pin them in." If they were going to attempt to stop two of Tejada's armed and dangerous hit men, they couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

He could see her throat working as she swallowed, nervous, but she bobbed her head up and down. "Okay."

"As soon as we do," he continued, "you have to get down and stay down." This was a crucial part. The situation was far more precarious than he'd like, and he knew how apt Beth was to take risks. "Tell me you understand," he accentuated to her slowly, keeping his stare on her face.

"I understand," she told him firmly in a pinched voice.

He had no choice but to live with her word. "Okay." He sank back down into his seat, turning his eyes to the road.

_Please God, let me get them both out of this. Please._

The sign for Griffith Park was ahead, next to a dirt road leading away into the trees. Once Beth reached the entrance, she slowed the car only a fraction and took the turn. Their car bounced off of the pavement and onto the gravel, leaves spinning up in their wake. They continued to roar down the road through the woods, when Mick spotted the blue Lexus, parked in a clearing ahead of them.

"There, there Beth!" He pointed ahead of them. "There they are."

The two hit men were standing behind the car, as if getting ready to open the trunk. From this angle they were facing away and Mick was looking at their backs. His stomach clenched as he registered their stance and the objects in their hands. They had both drawn their guns.

_They're going to kill him, right here and now. They're going to murder Josh._

Mick's body tensed to jump out of the car. Beth hit the gas again, only twenty feet away now, and the car sped up. The hit men finally registered the sound of their approach, turning around. Their eyes were wide with astonishment, but they weren't distracted long, raising their weapons. They fired at Mick and Beth's car.

The shots hit the front hubcap and the hood, before a shot broke the windshield. Beth gave a yelp of surprise, but kept going, only stopping the car where Mick had directed her to, blocking the Lexus's escape. She dropped down to lay flat on the seat, as Mick bolted out the passenger side door.

The car sat between him and the first gunman. Mick took two steps forward, before jumping up and sliding across the trunk to surprise the attacker. The gunman's reaction was equally fast, shifting to face Mick. He lifted his gun and fired a shot that hit Mick in the shoulder.

That however was the end of the hit man's advantage. A sharp sting of pain radiated through Mick's upper body, but he barely noticed it as his momentum carried him forward. He landed less than a few feet from the startled shooter, who attempted to drive his elbow into Mick's face. Mick blocked the blow, and grabbed the thug's arms, spinning him around and pushing him forward to bash his head into the roof of the Lexus. He took the shooter's gun and threw it away.

Releasing the now unconscious thug and letting him take a nose dive to the ground, Mick pushed up with his legs, hard, flying over the roof of the Lexus to the driver's side. The second gunman had evidently noticed how quickly Mick had disposed of his friend, and had gotten into the driver's seat, preparing to escape.

Mick balled his left hand into a fist and punched out the driver's side window. He wrapped his hand around the driver's jacket, then gave a yank, crushing the guy's head into the dashboard and, he sincerely hoped, breaking his nose. He reached in and got a good grip with both hands, and pulled him out of the car, throwing him through the air so that he hit a stand of trees. Like the first gunman, he also fell to the ground and stopped moving.

Mick didn't go to check on him, but stuck his hand in the Lexus's broken driver's side window, groping on the floor for the trunk pop. His fingers struck the small plastic lever and he hurried to pull it, before turning around and moving to the rear of the car.

_Let him still be alive. Please let him still be alive. _

Mick lifted the trunk, revealing Josh inside. He was bound and gagged with duct tape around his wrists and across his mouth, but he was alive. Mick could hear his heart beat and breathing were elevated, but not in a danger zone. Beth appeared next to him.

_We made it in time, thank you God. _

"Oh, my God, Josh!" Beth cried, moving around Mick to get closer to Josh. "You okay?" She pulled the tape off of his mouth.

"Beth," Josh panted, his eyes focusing on her face.

"You're okay," she stammered through hitching breaths. "Mick, help me untie him." Beth reached around to pull the tape off of Josh's wrists.

"Let's get you out," he told Josh, working on removing the ties from his ankles.

"You're going to be fine, Josh," Beth said, as much to herself as to him.

They pulled the last of the tape off and started positioning themselves to grab Josh and lift him out of the trunk, with Beth at his head and Mick at his feet.

The loud crack of a gunshot tore through the air. Beth screamed as a spurt of blood erupted from Josh's chest. Pop! Pop! Two more shots and blood started streaming from Josh's neck and thigh.

_What the hell?!_

Mick's head swiveled to the front passenger side where he'd left the first gunman. He ran to the front of the car. The gunman had recovered enough to take another weapon from the glove box, and had fired at Josh through the back seat of the car. The guy was leaning across the floor of the car and turned back to look up at Mick. Mick snarled and lifted his boot, delivering a swift forceful kick, smashing the gunman's face. Mick reached in and removed the gun, before hurrying to the back of the car to aid Josh.

Beth looked over as Mick returned, her eyes wide with horror. Mick brushed past her, reaching into the trunk to grab Josh under the arms. "Get his legs," he directed her, and she nodded rushing to do so.

Once Beth was in place, he adjusted his grip, and gingerly pulled Josh up, out of the trunk. Moving a few paces backward, away from car, he laid Josh on the ground.

Beth let go and took a step back. "Oh, my God." Her voice came out breathless and terrified.

"Call 911," Mick told her. She stood frozen, not hearing him, staring down at Josh. Mick looked up at her. "Beth," he said her name, briskly, to catch her attention. It worked, and she moved her gaze to his face. "Call 911 now!"

Beth spun on her heel, racing back to the trunk and snatching Josh's cell phone from inside. Mick could see her punch the numbers then lift the phone to her ear. "We need an ambulance," she spat out. "Somebody's been shot. We're in Griffith Park by the pond."

In the background Mick could hear Beth say a few more words to the operator, verifying their location. He had turned his focus back to Josh.

He pulled off Josh's tie and opened his shirt. He could see two wounds, oozing blood. Josh's eyes were open, but he was staring off into space. Shock was already setting in.

_Damn it. This is really bad._

The first thing he needed to do was slow down the bleeding from the wound in Josh's abdomen. He looked up at Beth as she finished her phone call. "Come here. Take your jacket off."

Beth ran towards him, unzipping her jacket. Her eyes met his for a second wide and scared, before trailing down to hit on the hole in Josh's midsection. "What?" she asked.

"Take it off. Take your jacket off." Mick repeated. Beth tore her jacket off, struggling to free her arms from the sleeves, and handed it to him. Mick could hear her hyperventilating. It was imperative that he keep her here mentally, concentrating on helping Josh. It was their only chance at saving him.

"Now, we have to apply pressure here." He took the jacket, balled it up and pressed it into the wound. "Put your hand here," he directed Beth. She dropped to her knees next to him, and placed her hand on the jacket. "Keep the pressure on, okay? We have to stop the bleeding in his abdomen while I stabilize the other wounds."

Beth did as he said, holding her hands pressing against the jacket, an effort Mick hoped would staunch the flow of blood till the ambulance got to them. "Keep that pressure on, now," he reminded her as he moved to examine Josh's leg.

"Josh please," Beth pleaded watching Josh's face, urging him to hang on. Her shoulders shook and she bit her lip, holding back her emotions.

Mick used his pocket knife to cut Josh's left pant leg open, giving Mick access to the bullet wound in his thigh. Beth's gaze shot over as the red hole in Josh's flesh became visible and she let out a gagging gasp that sounded like she might be sick.

A life time ago, Mick had served as a medic in World War II. He'd treated many multiple gunshot wounds, a skill he'd quite frankly hoped to never need to use again. In the field, you didn't always have the right supplies on hand and you had to use what you could find. Mick took the tie he'd removed from Josh's neck, and wrapped it around his injured leg, pulling it tight to make a tourniquet.

Next to him Beth body was trembling. She was breathing heavily and trying not to lose control but he could tell she was on the edge.

"It's okay, buddy," he tried to catch Josh's gaze and reassured him. Josh didn't react or give any indication he'd heard.

The sound of police sirens were getting closer and a black and white squad car came flying up the dirt road, stopping in the clearing. Lieutenant Carl Davis flung open the passenger side door and jumped out.

Carl hurried over to them and crouched on Josh's other side. "Oh no," he uttered in soft voice. "How is he?" He asked before making a fast examination of Josh's injuries and looking over at Mick. "We need to get him to the hospital."

"No," Mick shook his head without looking up at Carl, still working on Josh's leg wound. "We can't move him."

Mick could almost smell the surge of anger that flared up in Carl at Mick's refusal. "No, we need to move him to the car now," Carl growled.

Mick met Carl's intense glare. "He's bleeding to death, okay?" Mick snapped. "I am trying to stabilize the wounds. We've got an ambulance on the way. You got one guy here," Mick pointed to where the second gunman was still lying beneath the trees. "The other guy's in the car."

Carl held Mick's eyes. He finally seemed to accept Mick's judgment and visibly backed off. With a long glance down at Josh, Carl stood up and drew his gun, making his way over to collect the hitmen.

Mick got up and moved toward Josh's head to examine the neck wound. "Alright, stay with us," he said. Josh didn't respond, staring off to where the tops of the trees dotted the sky. "Come on, Josh. Stay with us." Mick tried again.

A small strangled noise came from Beth's throat. She continued to hold pressure on Josh's abdomen with her left hand, but she lifted her right hand to cover her mouth. Her features were contracted with fright and her eyes damp.

The neck wound didn't look good. The artery in Josh's neck was severed and Mick was afraid that blood wasn't getting to his brain.

"Give me your hand." Mick grabbed Beth's right hand and put it against Josh's neck. "Hold your hand right there. Put the pressure on, Beth, okay?" He gave her short look to ensure she understood and she nodded.

"Good work, buddy. You're doing fine." Mick popped up and hurried over to the BMW. "Stay with him, Beth!" he called over his shoulder. Once he reached the car, he leaned in, searching the dashboard for what he needed. His pulse leapt as found what he was looking for. He depressed the object and waited for it to pop up before yanking it out of the car, turning around to hurry back to Josh and Beth.

As he came back Josh was showing more signs of life, making a few choking noises and trying to talk. Mick would like to think it was a positive sign, but unfortunately his experience told him otherwise. A last gasp of energy was not unusual in the fatally injured.

"Just stay with us." Beth was murmuring to Josh. "I'm so sorry." Her voice broke.

Mick knelt down next to Josh again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Carl, along with the uniformed officer from the squad car, leading the first gunman away in handcuffs. It flashed through Mick's brain that he was only sorry he hadn't managed to kill the guy with that kick to the head. But just as quickly he put his attention back to Josh. There would be time to deal with Tejada's men later.

Mick held the small metal cylinder in his hand for Beth to see. The surface of the cigarette lighter glowed a bright orange. She wouldn't like what he was about to do, but he knew he had no choice. "Alright, I'm going to cauterize the artery," he warned her. Before she could object, he touched it to Josh's neck, holding it against the skin. Josh screamed in pain and his body writhed, trying to get away. "Hold him!" Mick directed. "Hold him still, Beth."

"Stay still," Beth cried, almost begging Josh. "Stay still."

He took the lighter away to survey his work. "That's good." He nodded his head and took a breath. The bleeding in Josh's neck had stopped. There was a burn mark from the cigarette lighter, but it had done the job. "That's good. Okay. We got this area mostly under control."

"Now, keep pressure on that abdomen there." He told Beth, looking up to check on her. She was still hyperventilating and her heart was pounding. He could tell that she was only not crying by an enormous effort of will. "You're doing a great job," he told her. She met his eyes briefly and nodded, biting her lip again, tears just under the surface. "You're doing a great job, okay?"

Mick got up to move and check on Josh's leg wound. He sat down and closed his eyes to focus his hearing on Josh's heart rate and respiration. He stayed still, blocking out the other sounds around him.

_Damnit! It's not working._

There was a soft whooshing sound that shouldn't have been there. The tourniquet wasn't working. His femoral artery was still bleeding out. He'd have to do something else if he was going to save Josh.

"Take your necklace off," he told Beth, breathless.

"What?" Her eyes were wide, panicked and not understanding.

"Just do it."

"How do you know what you're doing?" she demanded in alarm.

"You learn a lot in war." He answered her. She hadn't hesitated, and was already taking the necklace off. She held it out to him. "Just hold it," he said.

"Beth..." Josh called her name softly, his eyes locked on her face.

"Now this is going to hurt him. You hold him still," he prompted her. She reached out and put her free hand on Josh's chest. Her left hand was still pressing down on his stomach. "Be brave, buddy!"

"Right," Josh replied, barely audible.

"Be brave," Mick repeated, partly to Josh, partly to himself.

_Please God help me, guide my hand._ Mick said a silent prayer.

Mick took his pocket knife and sliced Josh's leg open around the bullet's exit wound. Josh let out an agonized cry, reaching up his hand to grab Beth's. Mick could hear Beth choke down a sob of her own.

"You're okay." Beth whispered. "You're okay." Josh's eyes had shut and his face was contorted in pain.

Mick forced himself to block everything else out, groping with his fingers and using his hearing to find Josh's artery. If he could tie Beth's necklace around it, he hoped he could stop the bleeding.

Mick was still working when Josh started talking. His voice was louder and clearer than before. A quick glance at his face however, told Mick his eyes were still not focusing, giving the blank distant stare of a blind man. That wasn't good.

"What day is it?" Josh asked.

"It's Friday," Beth stroked Josh's hair with her right hand. Her voice caught as she answered him.

"October?"

"No, sweetie," Beth sucked in a breath, composing herself. "It's January."

"Our anniversary's in October," Josh continued.

"I know." Beth tried to smile, but it looked like an effort. "You took me on our first date on the 17th. Remember? You took me to your favorite dive bar, Rustic Inn." Her tone wavered, thick with emotion.

A faint ghost of a smiled touched Josh's mouth. "Video golf."

Beth gave a short, startled laugh. "We stayed up till two in the morning." Mick looked up and could see Josh's gaze shift, locking onto Beth's face.

"I've never had so much fun my whole life," she told him, smiling again.

"I needed to make sure you were my kind of girl." Josh gave her a weak smile back, and she laughed gently again. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

_Please God, let him live and I'll walk away. Just do that for me… let him live, and let them have a happy life together. I'll walk away I swear. _Mick's heart tore in his chest. He didn't think God was listening.

"The arteries are clamped," Mick told her. "That should stop the blood flow to the legs."

Mick leaned back, sitting on his feet. A wave of dizziness hit him and his stomached seized flipping. He shut his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, willing the feeling to pass. The blood wasn't bothering him right now. The sunlight on the other hand… with the stress and exertion of the last half hour, his strength was breaking down.

He could hear Carl moving behind him and he opened his eyes to look over his shoulder. Carl had the second gunman handcuffed and was leading him toward the squad car.

"How long on that ambulance?" Mick called after Carl.

"Two, maybe three minutes," Carl replied, shaking his head, uncertain and apologetic.

Mick closed his eyes again, this time listening to Josh's heart rate and respiration. Both were weak, on the verge of collapse. Josh wasn't going to make it three more minutes.

He opened his eyes, fixing on Josh. Josh's chest heaved with effort, quick shallow breaths that did no good. Mick held his own breath, waiting… praying.

_Hold on. They're almost here. Please hold on._

But as he watched, Josh's eyes slipped shut. The soft faint thump that was his heart, ceased and the sound of breath moving into Josh's lungs was gone. He was still.

Beside him Beth was silent. She didn't yet know what had happened.

"He needs CPR," Mick broke the quiet. Beth's head shot toward Mick, alarmed. "You're going have to breathe for him," he told her. "Do you know how to do that?"

Beth nodded her head, and leaned forward. "Yes," she replied in a distressed high pitched squeak. Her body was ridged with tension, her own breathing ragged, but she positioned herself over Josh, ready to breath for him.

Beth hovered with her mouth just above Josh's. "Okay, breathe now! Two breaths," Mick ordered her.

She leaned down, sealing her lips over Josh's and gave two breaths. Josh's chest rose twice.

Mick laced his fingers together, and placed the heel of his hand over Josh's heart. As soon as Beth was done, Mick thrust his arms forcefully downward, pumping Josh's chest.

One, two, three… a terrible rhythmic motion.

"Come on," he pleaded with Josh.

"And breathe." Two more breaths from Beth.

"Come on, man!" Mick resumed chest compressions.

"Don't leave me!" Beth yelled, frantic. "Josh!"

Mick paused again to listen. No pulse, no circulation, no sound.

_No, no, NO!_

"Stay with me." Beth was weeping now, her shoulders shaking. Crouching over Josh, her hands stroked his face. "Stay with me, Josh." She screamed the words, trying to reach him.

Suddenly, her head flew up with a start. She jerked her gaze over her shoulder to pierce Mick with desperate, hopeful eyes. "You can save him," she urged, breathless.

Mick froze, not wanting to comprehend her request. She stared up him with a tear streaked face. The ferocity of her expression left no doubts as to her meaning.

He gave a sharp shake of the head. "No." He almost couldn't speak. "I can't do that," he told her in a low voice.

"Yes you can," she threw back. "Turn him," she pleaded, "he'll live."

Mick stood up, backing away from her in horror. "That's not living, Beth." Panic coursed up through him, tightening his chest and it felt like he couldn't breathe. He didn't take his eyes off of hers.

_I can't… Beth please don't ask me this… I can't…_

"Save him, please," Beth's features contorted in misery and she began to sob in earnest, "for me." Her voice cracked. "Please!" she repeated again, louder.

"He's human, Beth. Okay?" Mick panted and held up his hands up in front of him for her to see. They were slick and coated red with Josh's blood. "This is what happens."

_We're not supposed to cheat death. _

Mick broke his eyes away from her as the blare of the ambulance siren interrupted. The vehicle drove into the clearing, stopping behind the police car.

Two paramedics jumped out, and Carl began explaining to them what he knew about Josh's shooting. When the first paramedic reached Josh's body, Mick told him that Josh's heart had stopped forty five seconds before.

The paramedics set to work, asking Beth, as politely as possible, to move to the side, and then kneeling next to Josh. Beth stepped back out of the way. Her face was set in a tortured mask of despair with haunted eyes and her lips pressed in a tight line.

They unpacked a portable defibrillator, checking Josh pulse and breathing, finding nothing.

Mick could only watch, an empty ache filling his insides, as the paramedics touched the paddles to Josh chest. The body jumped in the air, but there was still no pulse.

They tried again, shocking him a second time.

_Come on, come back… please Josh, come back. _He could see Beth out of the corner of his eye, her hands raised under her chin, fingers threaded together in prayer.

The paramedics checked Josh's pulse, and then shocked him a third, and a fourth time.

After the fourth time, the paramedic turned to look back and Mick and Beth. He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry… he's gone."

Mick didn't speak, only tried to swallow as his throat closed up and the tears that had begun to prick his eyes threatened to fall.

He did what he could to compose himself and looked over at Beth. She was staring at Josh's body, stunned.

"Beth," he said her name and took a few steps in her direction.

She lifted her gaze slowly and looked back at him. Her eyes were empty and her face was slack. "Stay away from me." She turned her back on him and walked away, into the woods.

It stung, but he let her go, making no move to follow. In the distance, he could hear as she stopped walking, and broke down into heart rending sobs.

It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. In a just world this shouldn't have happened. Josh shouldn't be one more good person, taken away from their life and out of this world by a monster.

He looked down at his hands again, still bloody. He had to grit his teeth and work harder to keep his own turmoil in check. Part of him knew that this wasn't his fault. Josh's death had nothing to do with him, or with vampirism. But still, it was hard not to feel that he couldn't escape blood no matter what he did.

It always followed him.

* * *

><p>For someone who's walked the earth as many years as I have, and although not even close to as many as some, I should know that the fates of fortune can turn on a dime. I've seen so much death. I've caused some too.<p>

In the war, years before Coraline disrupted my life, back when I didn't know vampires existed, I was just an ordinary guy trying to do his patriotic duty and serve his country. Out there in the cold, stark emptiness before or after the battle, you missed your family, your girl if you were lucky enough to have one. You just wanted the war to be over, so you could go home and get on with your life. Get on with living. No one wakes up and thinks, today is the day I'm going to die. At least, most of us don't.

In a just world no one should be taken away before their time.

But what we want doesn't really matter. You could have a plan that you were sure you were going to stick to. Or you could be someone like me, a bit lost and wandering, not really certain what lay on the road ahead or where it would lead.

Josh was one of those guys with a plan. He was a good guy, trying to do right in this world. He should have had the chance to grow old. He should have had the chance to map out a future with Beth.

I don't understand any more today than I did all those years ago, why do some people get a brief moment in the sun light of this world, while others of us grope through darkness for endless ages.

My soul feels empty and hollowed out… for Josh, for Beth… for me.

But I'm still here, and as Beth has told me before, if I am there must be a reason.

I couldn't save Josh. I wish that had been my role and my purpose. I'm just left now with the path ahead.

And if blood is going to follow me no matter what I do, then this time I'm going to embrace it. Tejada started this by spilling Josh's blood.

I'm going to finish it by spilling some blood of my own.

* * *

><p>Mick was standing outside the interrogation room of police headquarters with Carl Davis. Through the two way glass he could see the second gun man, Bustos, handcuffed to a desk. It made him feel at least a little better to hear that the first gun man, Huerta, had ended up in intensive care.<p>

Mick looked at Carl sideways. "Give me five minutes alone with Bustos."

Carl shook his head and made a face. "Come on, Mick, I can't do that. Risk letting this guy walk on a technicality?"

"He's not going to walk. There's not going to be a technicality. I won't touch him. You can watch from here." He gave Carl what he hoped was a convincing smile. "Just give me five minutes."

Carl thought about it for a minute, and then waved a hand at the door. "Let's go."

_Uh… no… what I have in mind, you can't be there to see._

"Alone." Mick raised a hand, stopping Carl in his tracks. He stared Carl down.

"Alright," Carl nodded his head, going with it. "You got five minutes."

Mick assumed that something about the day's events had at least gained him a little respect from Carl. The guy didn't usually trust him much, so he was grateful to be given a shot at Tejada's man.

He entered the interrogation room, shutting the door behind him and crossed toward Bustos, sitting down on the edge of the large metal desk. Busto's chair was parked on the other side. He didn't look up, continuing to train his eyes on the far side of the room. Mick made sure to position himself with his back toward both the two way window, behind which Carl was standing and watching, as well as the security camera. Wouldn't want to get what he was about to attempt on video.

"I'm going to ask you a question" Mick said to him, "and you probably should answer it."

This got a response. Bustos turned his head to meet Mick's gaze. "HEM no canta." Meaning, the HEM brotherhood didn't squeal.

_Not talking huh? We'll see about that. _

Mick didn't speak or move, only tilted his head down a little and closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. He let his mind slowly wander away from his humanity. Reaching down deep inside, he lifted the lid on the box where he held his vampire instincts. Normally vamping was like shooting off a rocket, you just let go and let fly. Not this time though. He wanted Bustos to truly appreciate what would be coming after him if he didn't cooperate.

He continued to fix on Bustos' face. He could feel his body shifting gradually. His skin tingled, changing to a gray pallor. His vision grew sharper and he knew the shade of his eyes was moving toward an almost white ice blue.

Bustos watched him with a mild apprehension now. At first his eyes only widened slightly, and his mouth dropped open just a bit. A thug in a drug cartel would be practiced at never showing weakness or fear. But Mick knew that would change in a moment. Not many humans could take the bore of a full-fledged vampire without cowering.

A familiar itch in his gums signaled that his fangs had descended. Part of his brain still held onto his human thought and reason, but it had been shunted to the back. The cold calculation of a predator was in control now, operating on sense and instinct, more animal than anything else.

Mick opened his mouth and roared at Bustos, baring his fangs and releasing a menacing snarl. Bustos eyes flew wide. His heart beat jumped and the scent of terror radiated out of him.

Mick roared again.

Bustos bucked backward in the chair, trying to pull out of Mick's grasp. Unfortunately the handcuffs prevented him from going very far.

"Get him away!" Bustos thrashed around, screaming and jerking on the cuffs. "Get him away! Get him away from me!" His eyes hit on Mick's face, then went back to his shackles. He looked like a rabbit or mouse caught in a trap, knowing it was about to get eaten. Mick gave him a threatening smile.

"Tell me where to find Tejada."

Bustos continued to shriek and rock back and forth.

_Scared? You fucking should be._

Mick leaned in, getting closer to Bustos and giving him a better look at his teeth. _Tell me where he is or I will find you and use these on you asshole. _ "Where. Is. Tejada?" Mick growled each word softly.

Bustos just shook his head, shrinking away. He was probably almost as scared of what Tejada would do to him if he talked. Not that Mick cared.

"Last time," Mick warned. "Where is he? Answer my question." His voice was low and dangerous.

"He's at the…he's at the Hollenbeck bar." Bustos shook and finally stammered out, sliding his eyes sideways to watch Mick. "Near Chatsworth.

Mick snarled at Bustos one more time and Bustos flinched, squeezing his eyes closed. Standing up, Mick pushed the vampire back down, and his body snapped back to appear human. He looked at the two way glass, gave Carl a satisfied nod and left the room.

"Hey, what just happened?" Carl asked him, bewildered.

"He's holed up at the Compost Bar in Boil Heights." Mick answered him.

"Compost Bar in Boil Heights," Carl nodded and slapped his shoulder. "Good work." He hurried off to go after Tejada.

Mick watched him go, feeling a little guilty. He didn't like lying to Carl. But getting arrested wasn't going to be enough justice for Tejada now.

_Tejada made this personal. _It was time for Tejada to meet a real monster.

* * *

><p>Mick drove out to the roadhouse bar Bustos had named, a real seedy dive, set alone, isolated and off the road.<p>

Good. Isolated was good.

Mick entered through the front door. The glow of red neon filled the interior of the space and loud music pumped through a sound system. Two dancing girls, clad in lingerie, writhed on platforms set up in corners of the room. The bar patrons were exclusively Hispanic men, many of whom covered in tattoos announcing their membership in Tejada's gang, HEM.

To almost a man, they surveyed Mick as he walked across the room from the entrance to the large wooden bar that covered the far wall. The bartender, an older gentleman with a mustache and greasy black and gray hair tied back, was pouring tequila into shot glasses. He was about the only person that didn't look up. That was until Mick approached him, then he gave Mick a suspicious squint.

Mick asked where he could find Tejada. The reply, unsurprisingly, was a blank dismissive Spanish that he didn't understand Mick's question.

Mick's arm shot out, wrapping his hand around the bartender's head. He smashed the bartender's face into the shot glasses on the bar, shifting into full vampire mode as he did so. He let go of the bartender, and turned back to run his gaze over the room, growling.

One enterprising thug shot up, alarmed. He pulled out a hand gun, firing it repeatedly into Mick's chest. Mick was on top of him in three steps, barely slowing. He landed a round house kick to the guy's chest, knocking him backward to crush a table. The sound of splintering wood filled the room, along with the screams of the dancing girls.

Chut-chut… the distinctive sound of a shot gun being primed was the next thing he heard.

_Because of course the bartender has a shot gun under the bar. They always do. _

Mick spun around and the bartender fired. Just as he did, Mick jumped straight up into the air, high enough that the blast didn't touch him. It did however, rip through two gang members standing on the far side of the room behind Mick.

"You missed me." He cocked his head and threw a grim smile at the bartender after he landed.

The bartender primed the gun again, but he'd been stunned enough by Mick's move that he'd hesitated. It was enough time for Mick to reach him, lifting him up and throwing him across the room, into a wall.

At this point, many of the men fled out of the bar. One guy, bald and easily twice Mick's size remained, lifting a hand gun with a shaky fist and aiming it at Mick's chest.

Mick blinked at him. _You know they already tried that and it didn't work right? _He strode over to the bald man, and slapped the gun away. He grabbed the guy by neck and closed his fingers around the thug's throat, set to pulverize his windpipe. The bald man's cheeks and forehead were tattooed with Tejada's gang sign in large black letters.

The man was staring at Mick as if he wasn't human. Normally that look would bother him, but not right now.

"Where's Tejada?" Mick snarled.

The big man shook and shuddered under Mick's hand. "In the office," he managed to lurch out, barely audible. Mick let him go and he ran away, out the front door.

Mick walked over to the office door, set on one side of the bar, undisturbed. When he got to it, he kicked it in. Taking a deep breath, focusing his hatred, he forced himself back to a human appearance before moving calmly and deliberately into the office. He set his eyes on Tejada, standing on the other side of the office behind his desk. The drug lord was holding a gun in each hand, also pointing them at Mick.

"Tejada." He gave the man a smile and his voice sounded congenial and friendly in his ears.

"What?" Tejada sneered at him. "You come to my place. You come to my place and spill blood?" Tejada's voice rose in volume and agitation. "Big mistake," he barked at Mick. "Because now, I'll have your blood."

Mick stared at him pleasantly, silent. Just as at the police station, he let his vampire side rise to the surface and take over. He opened his mouth and roared with full fangs.

It had the effect he wanted. Tejada's face paled and his guns dropped. The man was scared.

_How's it feel for a change you bastard?_

Mick lifted his foot and gave the desk a hard kick. It hit Tejada and he was thrown against the wall behind him. Mick leapt up on top of the desk. He leaned in to hover over Tejada, who shrank back, cringing and avoiding Mick's eyes.

Mick inhaled a sharp breath through his nose.

Fear.

A small smile rose to his mouth. Time to feed. He sprang forward, pinning Tejada to the wall, he sunk his teeth into Tejada's neck, and greedily gulped down his blood.

He drank until the man was drained and lifeless, at last letting him go to the slump over the desk.

One less monster in this world.

* * *

><p>Letting the vampire take over tonight felt good, it honestly did. It was a relief to shut off the pain of Josh's death and the guilt of not saving him, to let the emotion just go away and focus on anger. That's one feeling being a vampire has made me an expert on, rage. After the helpless feeling of not being able to do enough and to have Josh's life slip out of my hands, I wanted to feel in control again. And the sense of power you get from vamping is like nothing else I've experienced on this earth when it comes to that.<p>

But you can't push everything away forever. Or at least I can't. The feelings didn't go away. They just waited in the background. They did come back.

Not that I feel remorse for what I did to Tejada. Not in the least. He deserved all that I gave him and more. At least being a vampire allowed me to do that much for Josh.

But exacting vengeance on Tejada is only a temporary victory. Josh's death is a permanent loss. When I shifted back from vampire to human, the wreckage of life that I was trying to avoid was still there. There's Beth…

I feel guilt because I couldn't do what she asked me to. I wasn't able to bring Josh back to her. I wanted to give him back to her. I swear I did.

I wanted him back as a human. I would give anything for Beth to be happy, even if it meant watching her live her life with Josh. Turning him into a vampire was not something I was capable of today. I couldn't do that to him.

Even if there have been times when being a vampire feels like an advantage, that feeling always ends.

Aside from guilt, the main emotion haunting me tonight is fear. I'm scared that she'll hate me and won't be able to forgive.

* * *

><p>Owing perhaps to the heightened emotions of the day, the encounter at the Tejada's bar had taken Mick a bit longer to recover from than had similar circumstances in the past. This, in part, was a side effect of how little he'd fed on live humans in the past years. Particularly how little he'd allowed himself to give himself completely over to anger.<p>

He retreated to his apartment to gather himself. He thought of calling Josef, but didn't. Even if Josef had gotten back from New York, he didn't have the energy to explain the day's events to him. It was also a good bet that, aside from generally approving of vengeance along the lines that Mick had exacted on Tejada, he wouldn't be thrilled to hear of the sheer number of witnesses to his vamping. Witnesses that had made it out of the bar alive, and with one hell of a story to tell.

When Mick finally felt like he'd calmed enough to think clearly, he knew where he needed to go next. He went back out to his car and drove himself to Beth's apartment.

Her front walk and steps were still marked with crime tape from the police officer's shooting, though the team from the crime lab had come and gone. It had been some measure of relief to hear that the injured officer had survived the attack.

He stood below the balcony that led off of her bedroom, looking up. The lamp in her room was still on. How many times had Mick been here in the last six months? Standing in front of Beth's building for one reason or another, wanting… needing to talk to her? He didn't even bother to knock on her front door this time. She wouldn't answer.

With one swift, silent motion, he used his legs to propel himself upward, jumping and landing on the balcony, inside it's railing. He turned the knob on the French doors and they swung open. He moved inside.

Beth sat in a high backed armchair, near to where he'd entered. Her back was to him. If she sensed his arrival she gave no indication of it. Her cell phone began to ring but she sat stock still, not going to answer it.

A photo album lay on the side table next to her phone. It had been left open to a photograph of Josh and Beth. In it, Josh was turned toward her, his lips near her ear, smiling and saying something. Beth's face was full of helpless laughter, her eyes closed. It was such a happy picture of the two of them that it hurt Mick to look at it. Not out of jealousy, it was truly her loss that he grieved right now.

The human scent is a mercurial thing. Most people aren't even aware how much it changes based on their emotions. Fear, joy, lust certainly… all have a subtle impact on a person's scent. Beth's wasn't hard to detect right now. Despair was looming heavy in a cloud around her.

"You going to answer that?" he spoke, referring to her ringing phone.

She shifted in the chair, turning to look at him. "I don't want talk to anyone," she shook her head. Her eyes were puffy and rimmed red from crying. Tears had left tracks along her cheeks. "Please, could you just leave?" she asked and her voice cracked. She looked away, down at her hands.

"Just give me a minute," he answered her softly. "I know you're angry that I didn't turn Josh," he started, "but I didn't kill him. Huerta killed him. And Tejada killed him." He took a step towards her. "Beth, his job killed him." He pleaded with her to hear him.

He took a breath. She still wouldn't look at him. "You can't blame me for him being gone. Turning someone into a vampire isn't saving a life, it's taking one." He was trying to keep his tone even, but he couldn't help the emotion that bled through at his words and his voice rose despite himself.

"Because it's such a curse, I know." She shook her head, irritated. Her head turned and her eyes flashed as they met his. "You tell me all the time."

"You don't know." The words sprang out of his mouth quickly, and he raised his hands in frustration. "Beth, how could you know?" He could hear himself becoming combative and he wanted to stop. He didn't want to cause her more pain tonight, but it was so hard to let this go.

Her eyes caught on his. "If you hate what you are so much then why do you go on living?"

His heart plummeted to the floor. The breath was gone from his chest. He stood up straighter and jerked his gaze away from her face, then back again. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

_You make me want to._

"I… I'm not really sure." He finally stammered, caught off guard. Exhaling a breath, he gave an embarrassed, painful laugh. "I'm not really sure," he repeated.

Beth didn't respond, only turned away, briefly closing her eyes.

"I did a lot of bad things after I was turned, Beth," he tried to explain and make her understand. "Things that you could never imagine. Things I carry tremendous amounts of guilt about." He paused and inhaled. "I want to make up for them."

The only sound in the room was the hitching of Beth's breathing, as she began to cry again.

"Beth..." _Please look at me. Say something._

"I just can't stop thinking about him." Her voice was shaking and she pressed her lips together. She looked back at Mick. "If you'd have done it he'd still be here." She gulped in a breath. "What if it were me lying there instead of Josh seconds before death, would you have saved me?" She challenged him with an intense gaze. "Would you have saved me?" she repeated.

There it was… the question of the hour, one that he'd asked himself a hundred times. What would he do if it were her… if he was going to lose her forever?

Mick could feel himself choking up and his eyes grew damp. He didn't look away. "I would have done the same thing," he managed to say in a thick voice.

She stared back at him wide eyed and sad, tears threatening once more. When she did break away, a short sob escaped her throat.

Without another word, he turned and left, back the way he'd came.

* * *

><p>I hate lying to her. The truth isn't what either of us need to hear right now.<p>

I've asked myself that question countless times. If she were about to die, could I let her go? Or would I be so selfish, turning her into this creature I hate just to keep her with me? Could I live with myself if I turned her?

I don't know.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of episode 12, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

Author's Note: Finally got through this tough section I think. Sorry this one is a bit of a downer, couldn't be helped.

Some notes from the reviews... yep, I'll pick up Lance and the funeral, etc in the next chapter. I'm looking forward to all that stuff. As far as Josef's POV, that's a cool idea. I'll play with it and see what he has to say about all this. :)

Much thanks to everyone who is reading. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

(Word of warning, summer is coming and unfortunately that cuts way into my available time to write. Will do my best to not let the time between chapters get too long.)

* * *

><p><em>She's kneeling on the ground in the park. The lake is behind her and the sun is shining down touching her shoulders. To her left, she is aware of Mick, working on something. She's not sure what he is doing though.<em>

"_You're okay, you're okay." She can hear herself reassuring the person lying on the ground in front of her. She tries to speak as loudly and calmly as possible, but it's difficult because her throat feels like it's closed off and she's choking. Her cheeks are wet and it registers in the back of her brain that she's been crying. She runs the fingers of her right hand gently through the man's dark hair. _

"_What day is it?" Josh asks her. _

_He'd been looking at her face only a moment ago, but now his eyes are off in space, far away from her, staring at the nothing above. _

_She tells him the day and he responds by asking the month, only he gets it wrong. She corrects him, and smiles a little when he explains he's thinking of their anniversary._

_He manages to meet her gaze again. "I needed to make sure you were my kind of girl," he tells her. _

_A second later he cries out and his face contorts in pain. She presses her lips together to stifle the noise threatening to escape her. There's a brief sense of relief as Josh's face calms and his eyes close, but the feeling passes quickly, turning to panic. _

"_He needs CPR. You're going to have to breathe for him." Mick is telling her. "Do you know how to do that?"_

_She tells him yes, pushing away the fear. It still feels like it's pulling her apart._

"_Don't leave me! Josh!" She's yelling at him. She's so scared. Of course he doesn't respond._

_Can't breathe, her chest is so tight, she can't breathe. _

"_Stay with me. Stay with me, Josh." She begs, she pleads. He doesn't move, doesn't breathe. _

_No, No, NO!_

Beth bolted straight up in bed to sitting, gasping for air and drenched in sweat. Her shoulders shook and her entire body was trembling. In each hand she gripped her sheets, balling the fabric up with her fingers and holding on as if for dear life. As in her dream, her face was wet from tears.

She closed her eyes and tried to suck in slow breaths, willing her body to relax.

_Just a dream. I was just dreaming._

Only it wasn't a dream. It all really happened.

Josh was gone.

* * *

><p>She crumpled back on to her bed, curled her legs into her chest, and started sobbing again.<p>

There's a funny thing about what ends up drawing the most attention in our lives, and what ends up getting ignored. Why is it the consistent and dependable, the people we can always count on when we need them, that get taken for granted and not appreciated? I've never felt as horribly guilty of that sin as I do today, right now.

The past six months have been an unexpected roller coaster. I know I was consumed with unraveling the mysteries from my childhood kidnapping. I got caught up in revelations about existence of beings I'd always dismissed as impossible myths, vampires. More than that, I've been knocked down and turned over with feelings stronger than anything I've ever experienced, overwhelmed by desire and anger both in turn. I was chasing someone, the reason behind so much of my turmoil. As many times as I've tried to talk myself out of it, I keep coming back to him over and over.

I lost sight of what I already had in my life and didn't pause to recognize how good it was.

I know I hurt Josh over and over with my obsessions, my chasing after Mick. I couldn't bring myself to choose one and give up the other.

Now the choice has been taken out of my hands for good. Josh is dead, first kidnapped and then shot right before my eyes. Nothing I do or say can bring him back.

I've seen so much death because of my job and in helping Mick with his cases. I've covered stories for Buzzwire with a distant sadness and sense of obligation to do some justice for the lives lost. That was far different from experiencing it touch your own life. Of all the topsy turvy emotions I've felt this year, nothing compares to this… this brokenness. One minute I feel numb, the next suffocated like I can't breathe, the next sobbing and unable to stop. Losing Josh feels unbearable.

I close my eyes to sleep, but I'm haunted. The dreams change. Sometimes I replay the horror of his death. Other times I'm struck by the could have beens, all the possible futures I ignored. I'm tortured by all the times I hurt him and am agonized by the memory of every happy moment we spent together.

One instance in particular stands out in vivid detail, the night before Josh died.

* * *

><p>Beth stood in the doorway of her bathroom, leaning against the doorjamb. She was watching Josh as he cleaned himself up in the sink. He'd come to her apartment a few minutes ago, visibly shaken, clothing rumpled and dirt on his face. But it was his expression, distracted and frightened, that had scared her more than anything else. It wasn't like him.<p>

After taking a minute to recover, he'd explained that he was backing out of the case he was prosecuting on fears for her safety. He'd been on his way home from the office when he'd been given a not so gentle warning from one of the drug lord's men.

Her initial reaction was horror, first that Josh had been attacked, followed by realization of the threat against her. Still though, none of those fears were enough to allow her to stomach the idea of Josh not pursuing this guy.

"You can't recuse yourself from the trial," she directed to Josh's back. "It gives out the message that the D.A.'s intimidated."

Josh finished washing up, turning off the water and using a towel to dry off. He turned around to face her.

"I know. If I recuse it emboldens the bad guys, noble idea." He paused, staring at her. "This is reality. Tejada mutilated a prosecutor's wife in El Salvador."

Beth shook her head. "That kind of thing does not happen in the US."

"Tell that to the families of the three DEA agents he supposedly killed in El Centro," Josh emphasized. Beth's insides flipped, queasy, but she tried to push down the sensation.

"Believe me," Josh continued. "If it were me that were marked and not you, I'd never step down," he made a face, his eyes narrowing, "never." He paused and his tone dropped. Fear entered his voice. "But it's not."

"You've spent two years of your life on this case." She hurried to point out. It was hard for her to understand how he could consider walking away from all that work.

"I know that," he said. His eyes held hers. "But I can't put you at risk."

There was a tug in her chest, at her heart. Over and over, in countless little ways, Josh had shown her how much he loved her. She gave a slight nod, the corner of her mouth lifting in a small, sad smile. "It means a lot that you would sacrifice this much for me."

Josh exhaled a breath, moving his gaze to stare at the floor.

A burst of anger swept through Beth's body. She'd seen enough of evil taking innocent victims in the last year. And she'd seen enough of good people like Josh and Mick putting themselves on the line to protect others. She knew what camp she wanted to stand in, and it sure as hell wasn't a victim.

"Look," she walked over to him, her voice firm. Josh lifted his head, appearing surprised. "If you recuse yourself and the case fails and then Tejada goes on to kill someone else's brother or wife or daughter..." She didn't finish her thought. Her voice had risen and sped up insistently. She could feel her pulse hammering in her ears. "You have to stay on this case. It's the right thing to do."

Josh stared back at her silent. His expression made a subtle change, softening. A warmth that she hadn't seen in a long time lit his eyes. "I forgot how cute you are when you are crusading," he told her in a quiet, almost amused voice.

She let out a puff of breath, embarrassed by how easily she'd gotten carried away. Her own eyes shifted away before going back to his face.

Before she'd even thought about what was happening Josh reached out, curling his fingers around the back of her neck, the palm of his hand resting against her cheek. He leaned in, touching his mouth against hers in a soft kiss. Her response was automatic, almost immediately kissing him back.

He was so familiar… warm and gentle and loving… They'd been so distant for such a long time…

She broke the kiss, inhaling sharply. She could feel her heart thudding loudly now for entirely different reasons. She couldn't tear her eyes off of him.

And then his mouth was against hers again. Her arms reached up to wrap around his neck, tightly. His hands moved to her waist, then slid around to her lower back, holding on to her. His kisses grew urgent, passionate, and she returned them with equal feeling.

All thought flew out of her head and she was just reacting, letting her body go on instinct. God, it all felt so good… his hands, his lips… to be held, touched, kissed… loved.

They took a few, stumbling steps backward, bumping into the bathroom wall. Josh braced one hand on the wall behind her head, the whole length of his torso pressed into her.

She moved her mouth against his, parting her lips, embracing him. Forgetting and erasing, allowing herself to get caught in sensation, it felt like stepping back in time. Back to before, when she hadn't known or felt anything else but the two of them.

Without warning, Josh stopped kissing her with a sudden jerk, moving his head away, although not releasing her from his grasp. He stared down with wide eyes. Her chest compressed, stricken and she searched his face. She remembered what it had felt like when they'd first met and she'd loved him so much. What had she said? That it had felt like a honeymoon, comfortable, fun, easy to be together, full of laughter. Her life had been simpler hadn't it? She would have been happy that way wouldn't she?

_Josh… what happened to us? When did I lose us? Where did we go?_

Love and need swept through her. She hurried to press her mouth into him again, hoping to close the distance between them, wanting to find answers to her questions.

They made their way to her bed, landing on the mattress, wrapped up together. She let herself give in to desire and lost all sense of everything else till morning.

* * *

><p>I hadn't planned on it happening.<p>

I woke up the next day, Josh lying in bed next to me with his arm curled around me. I wish I could say I understood any better about us, our relationship. It's not that I really believed climbing into bed with Josh would crystallize everything and allow me to see exactly what I wanted. In all honesty, I didn't think about a whole lot after he kissed me. But I guess part of me hoped that my decision would be obvious.

Unfortunately it didn't work that way. When I woke the next morning I didn't feel any less confused on where my feelings for both Mick and Josh stood. I wish I could say I was happy to just cuddle up to Josh and let Mick go. I don't think it would make what I'm going through right now any easier, but at least I wouldn't have this overwhelming sense of guilt.

We got a chance to talk and I could at least apologize for not being there for him these last months. I told him I'd been caught up in my work, which is true to a point.

He told me he'd missed me. It felt awful.

I don't really think that I missed him.

That was before… now that he's gone I miss him so much that I can't think straight. The memory of that last night together isn't bitter sweet, it's painful.

Josh didn't deserve all this, didn't deserve to die. He was a good guy and should have had so much better. I can't stop thinking that I should have given him more. Cataloguing all those things I didn't do for him hurts more than words can say.

There is one thing though that I did try to give him… When Josh was lying there, bleeding to death in the park, I begged, I pleaded with Mick to turn Josh. I wanted Mick to make Josh into a vampire. Mick refused to do it.

Remember how I said I'd made a mess I'd made of my love life, torn between two men? Now one of them has been taken away from me for good and I can't stand to even look at the other.

* * *

><p>Beth found herself at the entrance to the police station. She had been called and asked to come in. She pulled open a glass door, walking through, only to freeze on the far side. In front of her, the large room was filled with cubicles inhabited by police officers and detectives going about their business. Directly ahead of her, situated on one side of a desk, the paramedic that had worked on Josh sat talking to someone.<p>

She fought the urge to turn and run back out the doors through which she'd come. A tight chest pain and the inability to breathe came over her. In her mind, she could see the paramedic, crouching on the ground next to Josh. Touching metal paddles to his chest to shock his heart. Finally, telling her that Josh was gone.

The paramedic was getting up and walking toward her. Once he was close enough, he met her eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am," he said. She gave a short nod back. After he'd left her, she was able to regain motion in her legs, continuing on to the correct desk.

The detective greeted her with the usual condolences which she accepted with mute acknowledgement, before sitting down to answer his questions. She kept trying to focus and give him accurate answers, but her mind continued wandering. Her voice would trail off midsentence and she wouldn't realize what she was doing till the officer asked if she was okay.

At last she thought they were done.

"Thanks for coming in," he said. "As I told you on the phone, we need signed statements from all the witnesses."

"I understand," she replied, and he handed her a clipboard with paperwork for her to sign attached.

"If it's accurate, you can sign it," he told her. "The paramedic said Mick St. John took some really heroic steps in trying to save Mr. Lindsey's life."

She saw herself in the park, on the ground beside to Josh. "You can save him," she was begging Mick.

He kept refusing.

"Turn him. He'll live!"

He shook his head at her with desperate, fearful gaze. "It's not living."

Beth's mouth opened and closed, trying to respond to the detective's praise of Mick. She knew she should give some generic platitude about how grateful she'd been for his effort. No sound came out. She couldn't escape the feeling of betrayal that had implanted itself in her gut.

After a few more words from the detective, and several halfhearted responses from her, she was done, and rose to leave. She shook the detective's hand, and turned to make her way toward the glass entrance doors.

She'd only made it two steps from the detective's desk, when Mick himself rounded the corner and she came face to face with him.

"Beth." His voice shot up in astonishment.

A stab of pain hit her stomach. She barely let herself meet his eyes, only jerked her gaze away, and strode past him briskly without speaking or giving a backward glance. It made sense he was there. They would need his statement too.

If she thought he'd let her go that easily however, she'd obviously been deluding herself.

"Beth," he called after her, spinning on his heel to pursue. She tried to walk as quickly as possible, but short of breaking into a flat out run he was bound to catch up to her. She made it as far as exiting the glass doors from the main office area into the exterior hallway.

"Hey!" Mick caught her wrapping his hand around her upper arm, and stopped her. He then moved so that he was standing directly in front of her. "Come on, Beth." His expression was simultaneously concerned and frustrated. "This is ridiculous. I did everything possible to save him."

Her stomach twisted into a knot. _Oh is that right?_

She forced herself to meet his eyes. "You did everything humanly possible," she responded, putting pointed emphasis on the word human.

Mick's eyes darted away, to the side. She could see his throat working as he swallowed and he took a step closer to her before meeting her gaze again. "I live every day regretting what I am." He made a face and his eyebrows contracted. "I'm not about to subject Josh or anyone else to that fate, okay?" His tone was resolute but also sounded like he wanted her to appreciate the position he was in.

Grief swam up from the pit of her stomach, seizing her body. It was so hard for her to focus on what it was Mick regretted when he was still here walking around in the world and Josh couldn't do that anymore.

"I'm trying really hard to understand, okay?" she finally said. Her voice cracked as she spoke, and she brushed roughly past him, trying to escape before she started crying.

"Beth!" he called down the hall to her. She stopped and turned reluctantly to look back at him. He hadn't moved to follow, but had let her go, and was still standing near the glass doors. As he watched her now, his face had changed, appearing drawn and overcome with sadness. "I'll see you, okay?" he asked, hopeful.

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded in agreement. Without another word, she fled away down the hall, trying to abolish the memory of Mick's bruised gaze as she did.

* * *

><p>There was a knock at Beth's apartment door and she went to answer it, unsure of what she'd find.<p>

Standing on the other side was a man she'd never met before, wearing a suit and holding a bulging office file box under one arm.

"Hi," she told him.

"Hello. Miss Turner? Clarence Brown from the D.A.'s office." The man introduced himself.

"Oh," Beth, shook her head. _Of course… right… Josh's stuff._ "Please, call me Beth." She stepped back out of the way, allowing Clarence to enter. "I'm-I'm so sorry I couldn't come down myself," she stammered in apology. Truth be told, seeing Josh's empty office was beyond what she thought she could handle right now.

Clarence asked where he could put the box and she directed him to place it on an end table in her living room. He nodded and pulled out an envelope from the top of the box, handing it to her, before crossing the room and putting the box down.

Beth's eyes narrowed in confusion as she opened the envelope and studied the document within. "What is this?" she asked looking over at Clarence.

"It's a government insurance policy," he explained. "Josh named you his beneficiary."

Beth's eyes dropped back down to the page and drew in a shaky breath. _Oh Josh… _her heart sunk, s_till looking out for me._

"I know it's not a lot." Clarence said with an echo of sadness in his voice. "The big bucks aren't in public service."

"It…" he voice faltered, "means a lot to me." She tried to reassure Clarence.

Clarence stood without moving, watching her. "You know, all of us admired him."

She nodded.

"I should go now," he told her. "Let us know if you need anything else." He walked past her, shutting the door behind him, leaving her alone again.

Beth hesitated near the front door for a moment, before she was drawn to look over at the box. She could see that it was full to the brim with Josh's personal effects. She moved slowly across the room, dropping down into the arm chair beside it.

Her insides felt hollow and her limbs heavy. Part of her thought the belongings in the box should make her cry, but after the torrent of the last few days, her tears were dried up.

She removed the large framed picture that was sitting face down on top, turning it over to look at it. It was a photo of her and Josh, taken not long after they'd started dating. They were smiling into the camera. Josh had his arms wrapped around her waist. She'd remember seeing the framed picture on Josh's desk in his office. She stared at it for a time before setting it on her coffee table.

Absentmindedly she pulled out the next item, a large leather bound date book. She ran her hands over the smooth surface of the cover.

_All these appointments and you'll have to miss them. _The random thought sprang into her head without any real emotion attached to it.

She flipped the book open and thumbed through the pages till she found today's date. She read the words written at the bottom of the page several times, before her brain managed to process the information.

Her eyes narrowed a little. Next to the time 8pm was written a name, Celeste, along with the restaurant name Metro, and a phone number.

_Celeste?_ She looked up away from the book, trying to think but having trouble negotiating the fog that she'd been living in. _Wait… this isn't… Is this a date?_

Her mind started to whirl into motion. Not that she would have been surprised if he'd told her he wanted to date other people, at least before their encounter a few nights ago anyway. Things had admittedly not been on the best footing between them for several months now. But he would have said something first wouldn't he…?

_Yes, because you were so open and honest with him weren't you._

Alright, so what if it was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black…

_It's not like I was going on dates with Mick…_ Okay, yes, so she'd kissed him a few times, not to mention the time he'd seen her naked… almost naked…

Beth's stomach lurched and she grabbed her phone, punching in the number from the date book. After a few rings a woman's voice came on the line. "This is Celeste. Hello?" Beth didn't answer. "Hello?" the voice asked again.

Beth hung up the phone. She sat there for a long time, too stunned for clear thought. She couldn't even begin to process the flood of conflicting emotions. Her insides felt like they were whipsawing back and forth from grief to guilt to anger and then back around again.

_This is my fault. We should have talked about it, and now we can't. _The mere possibility leaving things like this, with so much uncertainty, was too difficult to contemplate.

Well okay, maybe she wasn't able to discuss it with Josh, but there was someone else that would have some answers.

Steeling her resolve, she picked up the phone again and dialed the restaurant's phone number. A man answered the phone by giving the restaurant name. Beth informed him that she was confirming Joshua Lindsey's reservation for dinner tonight. He replied that the reservation for two people was confirmed.

Beth thanked him and hung up the phone. For the first time since Josh's death, a concrete sense of passing time had returned to her world. 8 o'clock could not come fast enough.

* * *

><p>Once the long afternoon had finally ended, Beth found herself outside the entrance to Metro. She took a deep breath and exhaled. A new layer of doubt had added itself on top of her grief. She felt almost anxious now, needing to confront the person that was waiting for Josh, but afraid to at the same time.<p>

She walked up to the host stand and gave Josh's name. The hostess responded by directing her to a small table a short distance away on the outdoor patio.

Beth turned in the direction indicated to follow the hostess. Palm trees strung with white Christmas lights illuminated the space. It was crowded with many tables, none vacant, but there was only one with a lone occupant, a pretty young woman with dark hair, sipping her water.

As Beth stopped in front of the table, the woman looked up at her with a hint of confusion.

"Celeste?"

"Yes?" she answered Beth, blinking back with a light pleasant half smile.

Beth could feel her throat working as she swallowed in an attempt to clear the burst of irritation that fluttered in her chest. She nodded at Celeste and sat down. The other woman continued to watch her with interest, her head cocked to one side, but obviously not understanding what was going on.

"You were meeting Josh Lindsey here, right?" Beth questioned once she was seated.

Celeste's friendly smile remained, but her eyes darted over Beth's shoulder and her eyebrows lifted slightly in question. "Is… is Josh coming?"

"No, he's not coming." Beth's words came out brisk and clipped. She paused staring at Celeste, commanding herself to stay in control, no matter what happened.

_You came all the way here, _she thought, _there's no backing out now. _

"How long has this been going on?" she demanded, just barely keeping her voice even.

"How long has what been going on?" Celeste's voice shot up slightly and she drew her head back.

_Oh Please! That's your defense?_

"You and Josh," Beth shot back.

Celeste's eyes widened. "Oh, you're the girlfriend. Beth?" A look of understanding landed on her face.

"He told you about me?" Beth could hear her even tone rapidly disappearing as the volume of her voice rose.

"Listen, Beth…" Celeste sounded conciliatory.

"No. No, you listen." Beth cut her off, in no mood to hear her out. She just needed to get this over with. She swallowed again and her lip trembled as she held back the tears that were threatening. Not that she had any intention of giving this Celeste the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"Josh is dead." Beth finally spit out. The words still stung as she said them.

Celeste entire face slowly morphed, distraught. "Oh, my god." Her mouth hung open and she stared at Beth wordlessly, before darting her eyes away to the table cloth. "Oh, my god," she repeated softly. "I..." Her gaze came up to look at Beth again, filled with sympathy now. "I..." She stopped without finishing the thought. "Beth, it isn't what you think," she hurried to explain. "I've been meeting with Josh because I was resetting his grandmother's stone."

Celeste's meaning hit Beth as if she'd been slapped. She could feel her entire body contract as she drew in a breath of surprise.

_It can't be…. Please it can't be._

"He was planning on proposing." Celeste continued speaking. "I'm a jeweler. I was helping him."

Suddenly it felt like walls were collapsing around Beth. The indignant anger that had been fueling her all day sank into oblivion and an ache that was so much worse than before replaced it. The feeling of suffocation came back, along with nausea. Her eyes jumped away from Celeste, and she had to really work to not cry now.

"He loved you so much." Celeste's voice was somber and wistful. "He was so excited about proposing." She reached out her hand across the table toward Beth. "I'm sorry."

Beth blinked a few times and bit her lower lip. "No, I'm...I'm sorry," she stammered, meeting Celeste's eyes apologetically. "I was looking at his calendar, and I…" Her voice caught and her stomach revolted, seizing violently. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth and she couldn't speak.

"It's okay." Celeste responded without hesitation. She reached her right hand down into her bag and pulled something out, placing a small black box on the table in front of Beth. "Here."

Beth's heart started pounding in her chest and her eyes hit on the box before moving up to look at Celeste. Celeste's mouth curved up a little despite the sorrow that had consumed her features.

Beth picked up the box, her hand moving in slow motion, holding it and feeling its nonexistent weight.

_Such a little box, for such a big thing. _

With a heavy heart, she lifted the lid.

It was beautiful.

* * *

><p>After saying goodbye to Celeste and leaving the restaurant I couldn't go home. I felt so overwhelmed. It wasn't till I had gotten into my car and turned the key that I realized who it was I wanted to see.<p>

Yesterday at the police station, I was so angry at Mick for not turning Josh. I just wanted him here, in the world. I can't say that I've entirely made my peace with Mick's refusal to do as I asked. But as I started my car and pointed it in the direction of Mick's apartment, I did know that whether we're just friends or something more, our relationship is stronger than all the death and distraction around us.

Even if I am mad at him, he's still my friend. And I need a friend tonight.

* * *

><p>Beth was waiting in the hallway outside Mick's apartment. He wasn't home but it was okay. She'd still rather stay here for a while till Mick returned, instead of being back in her own place, surrounded by memories of Josh.<p>

After half an hour or so the elevator door pinged and opened. Beth stayed hidden around a corner in an alcove, listening to heavy foot falls approaching. Best to keep out of sight until she was sure it was Mick and not someone else. He came into view meeting her eyes right away. She guessed from his expression that he'd already noted her presence.

"Hi," she said in a small voice.

"Hey," he greeted her, compassion in his voice. His eyes were warm as they fell on her and his mouth turned up a little at the corner.

A surge of relief washed through her. He didn't seem to hold a grudge over her behavior yesterday.

"Look, I know I said I needed space," she said. "I-I just... umm," her voice faltered.

"It's okay," he nodded, watching her intently. "Come here." He held out his hand. She could feel her expression softening with gratitude and some of the tension she'd been carrying left her. She took a few steps closer to him, threading her fingers into his hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered without thinking. Being with Mick somehow made her feel better, like she was back on solid ground.

"Want to come in?" He inclined his head toward the door.

She gave him a quick nod and he smiled back at her.

A short while later they were seated on his couch in the living room. Beth was gripping a water glass with both hands. Mick was close by, only a few feet away. He had turned to face her, reclining sideways with his right arm lying on the back of the couch. He'd been listening quietly while she'd detailed the events of the day, starting with the delivery of Josh's belongings and ending with her meeting with Celeste.

"...but it turns out she was helping him re-set his grandmother's stone for me." She finished her story, staring down at the water glass.

"Oh," Mick responded calmly. Beth lifted her head to look at him, raising her eyebrows and pressing her lips together. After a moment Mick's eyes widened and he sat up straighter. "Oh!" he exclaimed again, louder this time. "Josh was going propose to you?"

_At least I'm not the only one surprised by this news._

She looked away from him and raised her right hand to rub her eyes. "I'm so confused." She blew out a breath and dropped her hand. "I don't know if it makes this whole thing easier or harder."

A silence descended on them and she could see Mick lift his hand to cover his mouth. He stared at her as if considering.

"I think the thing I'm struggling with" she finally broke the quiet, "is that I don't know what my answer would have been." Her voice was low and she felt lost. She looked up at Mick. "When you proposed, how did you know it was right?"

He didn't answer right away. His expression made her think he was a bit thrown off by her question. "At the time, it just-it just felt right," he replied sounding uncertain and shrugging slightly, "but…"

His words were cut off by a knock on the door. They both looked in that direction. His eyes jumped back to her face, quizzically, but he didn't move.

The knock came again.

"Go ahead," she urged him.

He nodded, and then got up to answer the door. She in turn took the opportunity to go into the kitchen to put away her water glass.

In the background she could hear Mick opening the apartment front door. She had just put her glass in the sink and turned to see who it was Mick was talking to.

Only he wasn't talking to someone. He was hugging someone… or being hugged by someone, a delicate distinction and she couldn't tell which category this fell into.

A cascade of dark brown hair, blood red lipstick and nails… Beth's heart stopped… Coraline. This wasn't Morgan Vincent anymore. It was Coraline, the vampire from her nightmares, in the flesh.

_Oh no, no way. You have got to be kidding. This can't be happening_

Beth didn't move, but stayed in the kitchen, staring at Mick and Coraline's embrace.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Coraline said to Mick.

Beth could see Mick step back from her. "Coraline, where did you go?" he asked.

Coraline's gaze moved past Mick to land on Beth, staring at her.

_Okay, no more, not today. Not going to be dealing with anything else today._ Beth made a command decision to leave. She didn't have the energy to cope with Coraline right now.

Beth bolted towards the front door at a brisk walk, grabbing her bag off of a table along the way.

"I had to get away," Coraline answered Mick.

Beth brushed past them out through the door while Mick was distracted.

"Excuse me," she said as she went.

"Beth?" She could hear Mick's voice calling from behind her and his footsteps following as he tried to catch up to her. "Beth!"

"It-it's okay." She waved one hand over her shoulder in dismissal without slowing or turning to look at him. "I understand."

The elevator door was still standing open. As she stepped inside and turned around, Mick had stopped just outside in the hallway. He was staring at her, his brow furrowed with distress. She met his eyes briefly then looked away.

The door slid shut. She was alone again, lacking the energy to think or feel. There was a limit to how much she could take and Coraline was officially past it.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of episode 12, season 1 of Moonlight. I do not own these characters. Credit for dialogue and plot from the show goes to their respective authors.

Author's Note: So in hind site, probably should have broken this chapter up. It's a long one. Lot of scenes to cover and new characters. Hope you like it. I'm looking forward to begin working on the next episode.

As always I'm so grateful to all who are reading and all of who have left a review. Thanks for giving me an excuse to adapt this stuff. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

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><p>"If you hate what you are so much, then why do you go on living?"<p>

I know those words, that question, burst out of her in a moment of grief. Beth was feeling so low that she lashed out. In any other place and time, she'd have stopped herself before asking that, even if she was thinking it.

It's still a valid question though. It's been on my mind a lot since she asked it.

What would I have said in 1984, the year before my path first crossed Beth's? Maybe I would have lied and said I didn't hate myself. I enjoyed my life as a vampire.

No, the thing is, before Beth brought me back to myself, I'd given up, surrendered to self-loathing. When Coraline first turned me, I was horrified and repulsed by the creature I thought she'd condemned me to be. I lost hope of ever being anything else and I became the thing I hated, turning off most positive emotions to live in a cold disconnect.

It is true that I've always had my friendship with Josef to help me feel something that approaches alive. I've tried not to tell him that though. He likes to think of himself as the ruthless, dispassionate vampire. In return, I humor him by not reminding him he's got a lot more humanity than he cares to admit.

And I did love Coraline, as twisted and warped as our relationship was, I loved her.

But I have done horrible things, particularly in the first ten years after Coraline turned me. People are dead because of me. Maybe I wanted to spite her. If she thought in turning me that I'd remain the same person I'd been before, only with the advantages of vampirism, I wanted to prove her wrong.

I went on that way for many years.

The thing is… it's hard to maintain that level of anger. Maybe a mortal can't really appreciate how much the passage of time can take a toll on your frame of mind. By the time I rescued Beth, I wanted to just be _me_ again. I didn't want to be a monster just to make a point to Coraline. I wanted to gain something back of the man I was before.

Beth gave me a reason to go on living. Sure, part of that was guilt because, let's face it, if it weren't for me, Coraline would probably never have felt the need to take her in the first place. So yeah keeping tabs on Beth all these years was an excuse to keep going. I thought I owed it to her after what Coraline had put her through.

Beyond that, part of me needed to see that through saving her, at least one thing I've done in my years on earth was good. Watching her grow into the beautiful, vibrant, determined, intelligent, amazing person she's become is validation that my life wasn't without purpose. Even if circumstances had been different and she'd never gotten the chance to know me, I still wanted to deserve her.

Now losing Josh has helped drive home one point. Human life is precious and something that we far too often take for granted. You'd think watching Josh die would make me less interested in becoming human again. I mean, is all that struggle for mortality really worth it, if you could have all the advantages of an immortal?

More than ever, I still think the answer is yes. After all, how can you really appreciate the world and the gift of everything it holds, if you've fooled yourself into believing you'll never lose it or have it taken away?

I wish I could help Beth now, but the battle with grief is her own. I can't fight it for her or give her answers. For me though, Coraline is still out there somewhere. I need to focus on finding her….and her cure. I can't let this opportunity slip away.

* * *

><p>The day after Josh died I got called into the police station to give a statement about the events surrounding his death. Normally I avoid the cops, but this time my involvement was unavoidable. I had to go in and give them whatever details I could. Leaving out a few little details though, things like how Tejada ultimately met his end.<p>

I know Beth and I didn't leave things on a good note when I went to her apartment on the night Josh died. None of the answers I gave could satisfy her questions. Not that I believe there was any response that would have been acceptable considering her mental state.

Despite all that, I guess I thought that regardless of how she felt about my refusal to turn Josh, I'd hoped we become too close for her to shut me out completely.

Today, as I walked into the police station to give my statement, I practically ran right into Beth, rushing in the other direction to leave the building. Her eyes hit on mine, but only for a second. I didn't even get the chance to read her expression. She dropped her head, and continued past me toward the exit doors. She didn't slow her pace, and if I'm not mistaken she started walking faster.

Okay, so maybe I underestimated her ability to forgive me. My insides twisted, feeling like they were being wrung out at her reaction.

I couldn't let it go at that and spun on my heel to follow. I caught her by the arm to stop her, explaining that I done as much as I could to save his life.

She responded in a biting tone by reminding me that I'd done everything humanly possible.

It's really hard right now to keep things in perspective and not take her anger personally. You would think, if she's learned anything from me over the past six months it's how much I hate being a vampire, and especially how I'd feel about turning someone into one.

My voice was probably a bit too harsh as I told her, again, exactly that. I regret what I am and I refused to put Josh in my position.

The moment the words were out of my mouth I felt instantly bad. Her eyes filled with tears that didn't fall and I could hear her struggle to keep her voice from breaking as she told me she was trying to understand. She fled away from me down the hall.

Fear and desperation choked me as I let her leave. I could feel my own eyes grow damp despite my best efforts to stop it.

I called out her name. Mercifully she did stop and look back at me. I told her I'd see her, hoping that by saying so I could make it true. She held my gaze for a moment and nodded, and then turned away and left.

* * *

><p>Mick was finally coming home after having spent a good portion of the afternoon at the police station giving his statement. Day had descended into night outside. As he rode the elevator up from the parking garage, he wondered what Beth was doing right now. How was she coping? Unfortunately, that's all he could do, wonder. She'd made it clear she needed her space, so going to check on her was out of the question.<p>

Hell, her boyfriend had just died. She had a funeral to plan. It probably wouldn't have been Mick's place to check on her no matter what the circumstances, given his feelings for her. It's not like he could say his motivations were strictly platonic.

Still, over and over again the last few weeks, he been reminded how much he'd become dependent on having her there. Every time a challenge or crisis had come up, she'd been by his side to help. Even to the point of saving him from himself by stabbing Coraline. Not that saving him had entirely been her purpose, but who knew how far things would have gone without Beth's little intervention.

Josef was right about that he supposed. Coraline did have it coming. To have the nerve to show up and deceive them, stalk them and lie to their faces. He still wasn't really sure what her game plan had been. Just to unbalance him because she was jealous of Beth? He still couldn't figure it out. Yet another example of how he'd really never been able to think clearly when she was near him.

The elevator reached his penthouse level and the door dinged open, saving him from his thoughts.

The scent hit him as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. He froze, his eyes narrowing in confusion. He shut them and drew a quick breath in through his nose. An overpowering trail of decay left by a very old vampire lingered in the hallway air.

_What the hell?_

His eyes flew wide as his brain whirled into motion. This was not a scent he recognized. There was a familiar undertone to it, but he couldn't place how or why. His senses sprang to full alert. If he wasn't mistaken, a very old vampire had been here, recently.

He made his way down the hallway with slow and deliberate steps, tracking the scent. His eyes darted from side to side across the space, into every alcove, but he found no one. He stopped in front of the gun metal gray door that led into his living space and inhaled another breath.

_No not here. _The smell did not lead off in that direction. His head swiveled down to land on the door at the far end of the hall, the one that clients used to access his office. The words Mick St John Private Investigations were emblazoned in black letters on frosted glass.

He cautiously approached the door. Yes, they'd definitely gone this way. He took his key out from his coat pocket and turned the lock. The door swung open.

He made his way inside, dropping the key back into his pocket and pulling out a switch blade. He depressed a button on the handle and a sharp silver knife snapped out. Hand to hand combat worked well when it came to the humans, but in dealing with other vampires, sometimes reinforcements were beneficial.

_Alright, where'd you go? _He held the knife up in his right hand, as he ran his eyes over the interior of the office, and into his adjacent apartment. He could still easily pick up the older vampire's scent. It was in fact growing stronger, leading him to the distinct belief that someone was still here, waiting for his experience through the years with Coraline and Josef, a visit from an unfamiliar vampire, especially an unannounced visit, was rarely a good thing.

He was now in his apartment, having crossed out of his office, and stood at the foot of the stairs. His eyes lifted upwards. If a human had gone this way he'd have them trapped. A vampire on the other hand, he had no choice but to confront them in a small space. Unless they were…

Mick flipped the knife into his other hand and bounded up the stairs. When he reached the second level, he passed the bathroom and his closet, until he found the door that led out onto the upper balcony and the roof.

He walked slowly out onto the stone terrace. He could see two men waiting for him outside. The taller of the pair was a dark figure, broad shouldered with black hair, standing near the wall at the edge of the balcony. He was facing away from Mick and staring out over the panorama of the city below. Next to him a short stocky vampire with a doughy face and blank eyes watched Mick passively.

_Who is this?_ Alarm bells were sounding in Mick's head. In his over fifty years as a vampire, he'd mostly tried to keep to himself and hadn't made extensive forays into wider vampire society, but he liked to think he still held a pretty decent awareness of the major players in the game. And this was not a person he was even remotely aware of.

It struck him again that there was something familiar in this guy's scent though. It unnerved him that he wasn't able to place it.

"Mick St. John," the tall figure said his name in a pleasant voice as he turned to look at Mick, having long since become acquainted with his arrival. When the man moved and his face at last became visible, a quick burst of shock and surprise surged up through Mick.

His left eye was entirely jet black. Not just the iris, the whole damn thing, the white part and all, was an unnatural, dark, ink colored orb.

_What is that?!_

Mick was momentarily thrown off and stopped moving. Once he managed to recover his equilibrium, he attempted to project a cool, controlled attitude, as if the appearance of uninvited strangers on his rooftop wasn't out of the ordinary. But he still held his body rigid and his muscles tense in anticipation of a fight.

"I don't think we know each other," Mick responded in a carefully measured tone.

The speaker smiled a little in amused consternation. "That's true. We've never met before." His words rang with slight amazement, as if he couldn't quite believe it. "I'm sure by now you've detected we're… kindred souls." He dropped an emphasis on these last two words, seeming pleased with himself.

_Yeah, I get it… you're a powerful vampire and you know it. _Mick did a fast mental appraisal. Based on his expensive suit, tie and overcoat, Mick could tell the guy speaking had money. He seemed arrogant, but not necessarily overly cocky. Mick thought he appeared strong enough that any physical altercation would be a bad idea and hoped a conflict could be avoided. He also thought something about the way the second, shorter vampire stood silently behind the first, gave the appearance more of a servant than body guard.

"What's this about?" Mick questioned, hoping to push him to hurry up and explain the point of his visit. He made no move to put away his knife, still held visible in his left hand.

"We're hoping you'd help us find someone," the tall man answered Mick calmly.

Mick gave him back a slight smile. "Who might that be?" He took care to keep his voice light.

As soon as the words 'looking for' were out of the tall man's mouth Mick knew what he was going to say next.

"We're looking for a vampire named Coraline."

"I don't know anyone named Coraline." Mick replied, albeit a hair too fast.

The imposing, dark haired vampire turned his head away for a second. Mick could almost swear he could see the big man grit his teeth, before the same light, gratified smile settled back on his features. He looked again at Mick. "Tall, dark hair, mysterious, incredibly sexy…" He delivered the description slowly with a nonchalant affect before flicking his eyes over to his companion and giving a barely perceptible nod of the head. The shorter vampire walked towards Mick, removing a piece of paper from the breast pocket of his overcoat and holding it out. The speaker flipped back his coat to slip his hands casually into his pants pockets, waiting.

Mick took the paper but didn't immediately look down. The tall vampire raised his eyebrows and inclined his head toward the paper, indicating Mick should look at it. Reluctantly Mick did. His stomach somersaulted as he recognized the document.

_Well, the bluff was worth a try at least. _

"She turned you," the speaker finished his description.

In his hand, Mick held a legal document, his marriage certificate to Coraline.

If the other vampire was angry at Mick for trying to lie about knowing Coraline, he didn't show it. His demeanor had not changed. The speaker exuded a sense of control that Mick thought probably came from an innate belief in his own power. Mick also guessed he wasn't challenged often. A combination of age and wealth would do that in and of itself. Add to that the other vampire's spooky, otherworldly quality, only partly a byproduct of that dark eye Mick was sure. This was not an ordinary vampire, if there even was such a thing.

Mick met the man's stare head on. "That was 50 years ago," he responded in an even voice. "We haven't been together for a long time. Why do you need her?"

"She took something from me," came the reply. There was a hint of something menacing creeping into his tone.

_Of course she did… leave it to Coraline._ Mick gave an inward sigh. "And why should I help you?"

The tall vampire didn't answer him, only watched Mick silently for a moment. The enigmatic smile crossed his face again. "We'll be seeing you."

With those words, he pivoted on the balls of his feet and in one swift motion, he and his friend sprang up, to leap over the edge of the balcony and down the side of the building.

_Jesus Christ! _Startled disbelief seized Mick's brain and he rushed to the wall, gaping in the direction they'd gone. There was the loud crunching sound of breaking stone, as the two men landed on a lower balcony about five stories below. The tall vampire turned his head up, to find Mick. To verify that he was watching Mick guessed. A broad grin broke over the tall vampire's mouth.

_How is that possible? _The distance was too great, even with vampire strength, a fall that far should have injured them. A queasy sensation of unease rocked Mick's stomach.

Both vampires jumped again, off the lower balcony, dropping the long distance to the street below.

* * *

><p>When it comes to the political and social machinations of vampire society, Josef is my expert. Whoever this guy is, I needed more information about him, as fast as possible. Something about that promise to see me again rang true and I doubted I'd seen the last of him. I'd like to be better prepared when that time comes.<p>

I sent Josef a text that I needed to see him. He responded that he wasn't at home or in his office, but was out at an exclusive, members only, vampire club. I'm a member too, mostly because Josef insisted on it, not really because it interested me.

I found Josef in the back room with the pool table. He'd just finished fleecing some clueless, newly turned vamp out of a pile of cash. Someone should really tell these kids not to play against a guy who's been practicing for 200 years.

The walls of the club are covered with paintings depicting venerated pillars of vampire society, all club members. I found myself scanning the artwork, looking for my new found friend and his black eye. Of course I didn't find him. If he'd been from Los Angeles I'd probably at least know of him anyway.

Josef was smiling and came over holding out a pool cue.

I shook my head. "I didn't come here to play."

Josef's face fell, just like a disappointed child. "Eight ball?" he tried. "Nine ball?!" his voice rose a little, and his brow wrinkled in irritation.

"Listen." I got to the point of my visit. "A couple of medieval vampires showed up on my roof looking for Coraline." At the mention of his favorite female, Josef broke my eye contact and turned away, walking around the pool table to the other side. When he reached it, he tossed a pool cue in my direction, which I caught, and he started racking up the balls.

"Something she took from them." I continued talking despite Josef's obvious distaste for anything Coraline related. "The main guy - he seemed to know everything about me."

"And the other one?" Josef moved around the table to the far end where I met him.

"He just stood there like his indentured servant." I paused, trying to put into words what exactly bothered me so much about these two. "There was something about these guys. It was like they were from a different time."

"And what did they look like?"

"The talker was big. 6'1", 200 pounds, dark hair. I don't know… strong, confident."

Josef raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Sounds like someone's got a crush, huh?" The humor on Josef's face didn't last long after the annoyed stare I gave back to him. He coughed and cleared his throat. "Anything else?"

"One of his eyes - it was jet black." Just the memory of that eye made me uncomfortable, but it intrigued me at the same time. "He had this stone-cold stare."

Josef froze, no longer fiddling with the pool cue, looking back at me. His features were suddenly tight and serious. "Lance." His voice dropped low as he spoke the name softly.

"Lance?" I repeated the name, a bit taken aback by Josef's reaction. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah, of him." Josef nodded, no longer meeting my eyes but taking a distinct interest in chalking his pool cue. "He's somewhat legendary. He's not like other vampires."

Legendary? Really? "How come I've never heard of him?"

"Because he doesn't need to blend in with society." Josef shot me a look. "He makes me look like a pauper. He lives under his own rules. That's the first time I've heard of him in decades. He never leaves Europe."

I could feel the muscles in my neck and shoulders tightening. Whatever this man needed from Coraline must be pretty important. He'd come a long way to get it. I tried to ignore the discomfort that had implanted itself in my guts. Coraline and I have one hell of a complicated relationship, but after twenty plus years thinking her dead, I've only just gotten used to her being alive again, as human or vampire. Assuming she got out of that hospital somehow, I don't want Lance to kill her now.

"What do you think Coraline took?" I asked Josef, more thinking out loud than anything else.

"I don't know, but who cares, Mick?" Josef focused an intense gaze on me. "You look after yourself. I'm telling you, you don't mess around with this guy."

* * *

><p>I hear Josef when it comes to staying out of Lance's way. I have no immediate intention to try and piss the guy off. But it doesn't change the fact that I want to locate Coraline for my own purposes. I still don't even know how she got out of the hospital and what state she's in.<p>

I decided the best place to start searching was the hospital's security cameras. It only took a quick bribe to the guard with access and a couple of minutes scanning the video footage to find Coraline. Or find her hand, peeking out from the bottom section of what looked like an empty gurney. My guess was Coraline had hidden underneath the gurney and hitched a ride out of the building. She couldn't have managed all that on her own though. She would have needed help.

A few more minutes reviewing the hallway footage gave a quick answer to the question of who helped her. A camera from another angle caught the face of the person pushing the gurney.

Cynthia Davis.

Cynthia is a vampire and is also Coraline's best friend. She was at our wedding actually. We're not what you would call close though.

Yeah… she hates me. Which is okay since the feeling is pretty much mutual. She also hates the United States in general and Los Angeles specifically, so if she's here, it's only for Coraline.

Coraline is one of the few people or things that I think Cynthia loves.

Finding Cynthia requires some outside assistance, so I found myself turning to, well let's just call him an acquaintance, Logan.

* * *

><p>Mick stood outside the door to Logan Griffin's basement apartment. Actually calling it an apartment was a bit of a stretch. There wasn't much to it, just a couple of rooms that served Logan's basic needs Mick supposed.<p>

If anyone ever cared to do an examination of the differences between vampire mythology, and vampire reality, Logan could be the poster boy for that study. Case in point, vampire mythology dictated a certain innate cool factor. Mick remembered making a joke to Beth along those lines at one point. Logan however, was decidedly not cool. He was on the contrary, a video game obsessed computer geek, and something of a slob. But he was also an excellent computer hacker and very good at locating information through not strictly legal means.

Mick had never actually heard the story of Logan's turning, but whatever it was, he'd been on the young side when it happened. Not a teenager, but somewhere in his twenties Mick guessed. It was easy sometimes to forget that Logan even existed. If Josef believed that Lance's wealth and power allowed him to stay out of wider vampire society, then Logan had in some ways achieved the same feat without either of those advantages. It was a safe bet that Logan didn't have much money and certainly no influence, but he lived more in a virtual world than anything else. He stayed out of vampire society because he didn't ever leave his apartment.

This constant availability had been useful though when Mick had needed help locating Josh after Tejada's thugs had kidnapped him. If Logan had not been so quick to track Josh's GPS signal, Mick was sure that he and Beth wouldn't have reached Josh before his death. Maybe that was a small comfort now, but it did mean something.

It was partly for this reason, among other more practical ones, that Mick was approaching Logan with this current job locating Cynthia Davis. Hopefully Cynthia would lead him to Coraline.

After several minutes of repeatedly mashing the security buzzer, the apartment door finally clicked open, and Mick made his way down to Logan.

Unsurprisingly, he found the young vampire immersed in a video game, Guitar Hero as it were. Logan was dressed in ratty jeans and an old tee shirt, topped with a long sleeved plaid button down. He had a pudgy baby face and lots of unruly curly hair. The only giveaway to his being a vampire was the tall glass of thick red liquid, sitting on his desk. Mick could barely contain the grimace of disgust that crossed his face as he surveyed the mess that engulfed Logan's small room.

Logan greeted Mick without tearing his eyes away from the flat screen TV panel that was hooked up to his gaming system. Without a preamble he launched right into a long rambling analysis of his video game for Mick.

With some difficulty Mick managed to cut Logan off, mostly by stepping in front of him and blocking his view of the game monitor. He explained that he had a job for Logan, if he wanted it.

Logan heaved an irritated sigh and rolled his eyes to the ceiling, but he did pause his game and allowed Mick to give the details on Cynthia.

He finally met Mick's eyes, staring at him with a bored expression and slack face. When Mick was done Logan continued to look at him without speaking.

"I'll pay you," Mick finally told him, exasperated after an extended silence.

"I accept cash or blood." Logan's expression did not change.

Mick's eyebrows narrowed. Did he seriously think Mick had some bags of blood hidden somewhere on his person? Mick reached into his coat pocket to pull out his wallet and hand a one hundred dollar bill to Logan.

"Cash it is." Logan sounded disappointed at the lack of blood, but nonetheless, he shoved his plastic guitar into Mick's hands, and sat down at his computer desk to work. Mick's forehead furrowed briefly at the video game device. _Not quite the same as the real thing Logan, but thanks for trying I guess. _He shook his head before lifting his gaze to watch Logan work.

Logan did not however start tapping on the keyboard. He instead cleared his throat loudly. "Mick, you know I can't work with you hovering over me." His voice was petulant.

Mick could only stare at Logan wordlessly and irritated for a moment. He exhaled his breath in a short puff but succeeded in biting back a retort and turned away. He eyed the filthy looking couch set against the far wall, trying to decide if clearing a space to attempt to sit on the thing was even worth it. He opted not to chance it, instead walking over to lean against another table, set into the corner of the room. He turned the guitar shaped object in his hands over and over, studying it absentmindedly while Logan worked.

Not much time passed before Logan piped up. He swung his chair around to face Mick, smiling. "Who's the man?" He lifted both his hands, palms skyward and smiled.

"That was fast." Mick reacted with genuine surprise. What Logan may have lacked in social refinements, he made up for with skill. "What do you got?" Mick put down the video game toy and walked back over to Logan's computer set up.

Logan was already spinning his chair around to read the computer monitors. "Your girl's been busy the last few years." He shook his head. "Master's and PhD, both in biochemistry." Mick leaned forward, resting one hand on Logan's desk to get a better look at the information on the screens.

"I hacked in and ran her credit cards," Logan continued. "She's been flying back and forth between L.A. And Paris every couple weeks, and she's been importing some kind of agricultural products from France."

Mick head quickly rotated away from the screen to stare down at Logan. _The cure._ His breathing sped up.

"And when she stays in town, she stays at the Hardwick hotel." Logan looked up over his shoulder at Mick and smiled again.

"And is she in town?" Mick asked.

Logan bobbed his head up and down, nodding back at Mick.

"Perfect. Give me her room number."

Logan made an apologetic face. "Oh, no go."

"Okay." Knowing the hotel name was a big start. Mick could find other ways of figuring out her room number. "Keep digging," he directed at Logan as he stood back and started toward the exit stairs. "I need to know where those imports are being delivered."

"Ah-Hem" Logan audibly cleared his throat for the second time since Mick's arrival. Mick stopped walking to glance back at him, confused. Logan's eyebrows narrowed, making a face that clearly said, aren't you forgetting something? He held out a hand expectantly.

Mick could feel his own features contracting, annoyed, as he looked from Logan's hand to his face and back again. He exhaled a resigned sigh and pulled out his wallet, shoving more money into Logan's outstretched fingers. "And everything else she's up to." He met Logan's eyes to make sure he understood. Logan nodded, seeming happy again now that he'd been paid.

Mick left Logan, sprinting up the stairs and out the door to his car. His tires squealed as he pulled out and floored the accelerator, pointing the vehicle toward the Hardwick hotel.

_Time for a friendly little visit Cynthia, just for old time's sake._

* * *

><p>I first met Cynthia a few days before my wedding to Coraline. Back then, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had the most irresistible, intoxicating, exciting woman and she loved me. When she was happy, and showering me with affection, life couldn't be better. I'd conveniently forget all the times she'd flirted with other men or stood me up. I chose to ignore the way she'd rejected me and left me twisting in the wind. I wouldn't think about the time I'd been so undone by her games that I'd thrown a chair through one of her plate glass windows in a fit of rage.<p>

No, instead of seeing all that, I was blind to anything other than my overwhelming desire to be with her. I asked her to marry me and miraculously, she said yes. I couldn't quite believe that someone like her would choose a guy like me, but I wasn't arguing or asking questions. I didn't want what I thought was my good fortune to blow away like a mirage in the desert heat.

Coraline, understandably, always kept a certain level of secrecy around her. At the time I found her air of mystery appealing. She'd welcomed me into her bedroom with open arms. (Well, it was a room with a bed, not that she slept there.) Always though, in the middle of the night I'd wake to find her gone and the bed next to me cold and empty. I'd comb through each room of her mansion, searching, but she was nowhere to be found. Of course, I didn't know about the room with her freezer so…

But the explanation for her odd sleeping habits wasn't the only the only secret Coraline kept. I knew almost nothing about her history. She was always very vague when I'd press her for details about her parents or upbringing. She'd clearly imply her obvious wealth had something to do with her family, but never said more. So it was with a large dose of enthusiasm, and yes I admit also some nerves, that I anticipated meeting Coraline's best friend, Cynthia.

We didn't have a long engagement, but decided on a small ceremony to take place shortly after I'd proposed. It was just enough time for some of Coraline's close friends to travel to attend. Three days prior to the ceremony, tall, thin and blond, Cynthia arrived on Coraline's doorstep. She hadn't looked rumpled from a long journey, but instead had been meticulously outfitted in a designer dress, expensive jewelry and high heels along with flawless makeup and hair.

I had stood in Coraline's living room at a polite distance and watched my fiancé embrace her friend in a long, close hug. I remember that an irrational wave of jealousy swept through me, having more than once been victim of Coraline's mercurial attention span as it switched from me onto someone else.

That jealousy was only the start. Things quickly went south from there. When Coraline had broken their hug, she kept hold of Cynthia's arm by linking her own through it. She half dragged Cynthia across the room to me. With a flourish Coraline had waved her free hand in my direction and introduced me to Cynthia by saying "this is my Mick."

Cynthia eyes had run over me, all the way down to my feet and then up again to my face. A particularly cold expression of haughty disdain implanted itself on her features.

"Oh…" she drew out the word slowly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Although she'd smiled, it didn't reach her icy stare. I could have sworn that puffs of smoke would escape her lips any second as she spoke, as if we were outside and the temperature was below freezing.

It didn't take long to figure out that Cynthia already had a strong dislike for me, one that fast descended into hatred. I wasn't particularly impressed with her either.

"What do you do again?" Cynthia asked me later in the evening, her perfectly groomed eyebrows wandering together as if puzzled. "A musician, was that it?" The way she pronounced the word musician, as if it left a foul taste in her mouth, made it clear what she thought of the profession. She'd answered her own question and raised a martini glass to take a sip. The corner of her mouth had curled up in an almost sneer.

I can only imagine Cynthia's reaction when Coraline had the opportunity to explain her plans for turning me into a vampire. My difficulties adjusting to my new state after our wedding night, only served to reinforce Cynthia's low opinion of me.

At least I haven't needed to see her for many years. Coraline's absence from my life has had that side benefit. A benefit it appears that has unfortunately now run out.

* * *

><p>At the hotel Mick had easily gotten Cynthia's room number from the front desk by calling and pretending to be a delivery person from room service.<p>

When he reached Cynthia's room he knocked and waited for her to answer. It wasn't long until he heard the click of high heels crossing the space from within. When the sound stopped just on the other side of the door, he closed his eyes and inhaled a long deep breath through his nose, pulling in as much scent as he could. There was the smell of a heavy floral perfume and beneath it, unmistakable, Cynthia.

The door swung open and the attractive blond standing there gave him a seductive smile. "Mick, what a pleasant surprise." If you didn't know better, you'd think the sweet honey tone dripping from her voice was genuine.

Mick's face remained a stony mask. _Oh, glad to see me are you? _If he'd wondered before, he was sure now that Coraline hadn't left L.A. Cynthia would only be nice to him if she thought she could beguile him into believing her lies in order to get rid of him quickly. She always had the same mission, getting him to leave Coraline alone.

"Cynthia. It's been a long time. Can I come in?"

"Sure, why not?" she replied in a light and airy voice. "I'd love to catch up." Her eyes flashed and she stood back out of the way, allowing him to enter.

As Mick passed, he made a point not to look at her. He was distinctly aware that she was dressed in nothing more than a short, red silk bathrobe. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of thinking he'd noticed. Cynthia had learned most of her tricks from Coraline, and similarly she believed there was always one quick route to convincing any man to submit to her will. Usually that route involved a maximum amount of long legs and exposed cleavage, if not outright total nudity. Thankfully years of loathing made him pretty much immune to any charms Cynthia thought she possessed.

"Taking a nap?" He nodded to the large bathtub filled with ice, sitting in the center of the adjacent room.

"Oh, you know, hotels don't come with freezers." Instead of approaching him, Cynthia crossed the room to the queen sized bed. She sat down on it and then stretched out to half recline on her left side, propping herself up with one elbow. She watched him from her spot on the bed with a pleasant expression. Neither of them spoke for a brief interval.

_Alright, enough games. You know why I'm here. _

He kept his gaze fixed on hers. "Where's Coraline?" He got to the point. "I saw the tapes. I know you took her out of the hospital, but why?"

Cynthia huffed out a short laugh under her breath. "You make it sound like I kidnapped her. I was helping her."

"Really?" His tone of voice rang with skepticism. He was trying to ignore the old jealous streak that sparked up within. It was that part of him, a fragment he'd spent years excising, which wanted to believe if Coraline needed help, she should have turned to him and not Cynthia. Rationally he knew he should be happy to leave Coraline to Cynthia. They deserved each other. But old habits die hard, especially when it came to emotions this entrenched.

Cynthia's eye brow lifted as she cocked her head to the side. "Come on, Mick, a vamp in the hospital?"

"Yeah, but she wasn't a vamp. She was human." He gave Cynthia a small satisfied smile to goad her. He was well aware of her feelings about the old vampire versus humanity debate and on which side she stood from a superiority stand point. "So where is she now?"

Mick turned away from Cynthia and took a few steps over to a desk, sitting not far away. Mail and other assorted paperwork appeared to be piled on top of it. He lifted an envelope to examine the address. Cynthia got up off the bed, and was across the room in a shot. She tore the envelope out of Mick's hand and placed it face down on the wooden surface.

"Europe." She answered his question, but the rapid clip of her words betrayed her lie. "She left the day after she got out of the hospital."

She was standing now right before him. "Some things never change, do they?" He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "You're still lying for her?" Cynthia didn't respond, only blinked back at him passively.

"So she's in Europe," he continued. "Why are you still in town?"

"I'm running a business."

"That requires agricultural products from France?" _Do I look that stupid to you?_

"I supply restaurants." Her demeanor was cool and unruffled. This was not getting him very far, time to change tacks.

He took a step closer to her and his voice dropped. "What do you know about this cure?"

"Cure for what?" Her expression remained innocent, as if she was completely unaware of his meaning.

"For what we are."

A longer pause now. Cynthia's features hardened a bit showing a crack in her façade. "Don't tell me you're still fighting who you are?" She couldn't disguise the crackle of disdain that crept into her words.

There it was, the woman he remembered so well. The thought came with a surge of animosity that painfully tensed every muscle in his body. "As helpful as ever." Sarcasm rang in his words and his mouth curved up at the corner in a bitter smile.

"Oh, I do try." She responded with equal measure of antagonism.

His jaw clenched. "Thanks Cynthia," he managed a soft, angry reply, before brushing past her.

"Anytime." Her satisfied voice rang at his back as he left her room.

* * *

><p>Alright, so Cynthia wasn't exactly going to be forthcoming with Coraline's whereabouts. I expected as much, but at least I had pretty solid confirmation that Coraline had not left LA.<p>

Fortunately where Cynthia was decidedly unhelpful, Logan came through. As I left the hotel, Logan sent me a text containing the address where those agricultural imports were being delivered. It was a warehouse in an industrial neighborhood.

I headed straight there. When I arrived, I was rewarded with a pretty typical concrete and steel box, windowless at street level. Thankfully the roof had quite an array of skylights and windows. It wasn't hard for me to jump up there from the ground, and find one to pop open and look inside.

"You told me we were closer, why isn't it working?"

And there she was… Coraline. Based on the level of irritation in her voice she wasn't happy either.

Inside the warehouse Coraline had set up a laboratory. Walls had been erected to enclose a small rectangular space. The area had metal tables covered with instruments, microscopes and centrifuges among them. There was also a section of the room set up with greenhouse lights, under which a multitude of desiccated large brown plant leaves hung suspended from wires. There was even an animal cage containing what appeared to be some sort of monkey. From my perch on the roof I had a good bird's eye view of everything.

Coraline had been pacing back and forth. She stopped now to look over the shoulder of a man in a white lab coat. The man was seated at one of the tables. In front of him was a rack of test tubes, all appearing to contain a red liquid. There was also a computer and monitor sitting on the table. The man scowled at something on the monitor, before lifting up a test tube and squinting at its contents as if perplexed.

"I'm not sure. I extracted a cell from the compound. I cloned it, then injected it into the cell structure of a plant from the same phylum as the extinct species."

"You said it would work." Coraline snapped at the guy.

"Well, theoretically, it still should." He replied to her sounding confused, staring again at the computer monitor, and what I presumed with test results. "I'm going to have to try again."

"Every time we try, we use up some of the compound."

Coraline's voice had risen in volume and sped up in tempo, anger clearly affecting her. I could hear her make a noise like a frustrated growl. She stalked across the room away from the man in the lab coat toward the monkey cage. I had a pretty good view of her face from my angle, and as I watched her eyes shifted from their normal brown to a vampire's almost white ice blue. She bared her teeth, including a set of pointed fangs and snarled at the monkey.

A sensation of cold ran through me. I was struck with how easy it had been to be fascinated by Coraline masquerading as Morgan Vincent. She'd left her long hair hanging down casually and unstyled. She'd worn little makeup and had dressed in blue jeans. She'd seemed so human.

The woman standing below was not the same. The act was over. The differences in her appearance, elaborately groomed and made up, brought me back to the woman I'd married. Watching her transform into a vampire was an uncomfortable reminder of all the things that disturbed me about her. Below me on the laboratory floor was an example of everything I hadn't known, or at least had successfully blocked out, until after our wedding night and it was too late for me. Coraline the vampire was prowling the laboratory.

"Don't even think about it," the man in the coat warned her as she eyed the monkey. "It'll compromise the testing."

A flash of disappointment crossed Coraline's face, but she did as he asked, stepping back and letting her fangs retract, shifting back into a human appearance. Her eyes became dark brown once again. She turned slightly as if to walk back toward the man in the lab coat. She didn't actually move anywhere though. Her body froze, tension evident. Her gaze widened and shot toward the entrance to the lab area. Her scientist friend had done likewise, scanning the door.

They could sense something that I was missing, something I couldn't perceive from this height.

Whatever was going on, there was clear fear on Coraline's features. She began to move again, hurrying around the instruments in the center of the room, toward entrance. She made it half the distance, but if she'd been hoping to get out of the room, she wasn't quite fast enough. The doors to the lab burst open, and Lance strode through them. Coraline's forward progress halted.

"Did you really think you'd get away with all this?"

I couldn't see his face, but his tone of voice told me all I needed to know about Lance's state of mind. The man I'd met on my rooftop, was cold, assured, aloof, and above all, calm. Lance still possessed all those qualities, but added to them was a marked anger.

To be blunt, he was pissed, and Coraline appeared to be the reason.

"Lance." His name escaped her lips, breathless and with immense trepidation.

This was new. I've seen Coraline many ways, but I'd almost never seen her cower before someone else, as she did now.

"We've tried all this already," Lance shook his head, scolding while he advanced towards her.

Coraline started backing away from him. "We're getting close." Her voice wavered a little and she sounded desperate to convince him.

Lance however, was not about to take Coraline's assurances out of hand. "No, it's not that simple."

The man in the white lab coat had not moved from his chair in front of the monitor. Instead he'd sat and watched the interchange between Lance and Coraline with alarm written on his face. He shot up to standing now, to get between Lance and Coraline. I was thinking that he really should think twice before getting involved in their argument. "Let's be rational about this," he told Lance.

There was a pause as Lance didn't respond right away. He didn't speak, only reached out and put his left hand on the man's shoulder. Perhaps he was considering the scientist's advice.

It was only then, when the possibility of Lance actually listening to their perspective looked like a viable option that Lance whipped out a large dagger. Before I even knew what was really happening, Lance seized the man's hair with his left hand, and sliced through the man's neck in one swift motion using the dagger in his right.

The body dropped to the side, hitting a lab table as it went, knocking the contents of a flask into a Bunsen burner. Flames erupted in a cascade as the liquid from the flask spilled to the lab floor, spreading in a bright orange puddle. Lance held the decapitated head aloft for a moment longer, staring as it dripped blood on the floor, and then turned his attention to Coraline.

Josef was right. This guy is piece of work and he plays by his own set of rules. I think we can exclude rational as an option.

Lance tossed the head to the side, and sheathed the dagger in a scabbard on his belt. Coraline hadn't moved, but was cringing away, turning her head to the side. Her eyes flicked up to his face.

"You're so irresponsible," he snarled. His left hand flew out and closed around her upper arm. She jerked back away from him, trying too late to turn and run. This action only served to irritate him further, as he gave a sharp yank. Coraline went flying across the room, landing on her back and crashing into some metal cabinets.

A reflexive flush of rage grabbed my insides sending a hammering pulse into my ears, and I clenched my jaw so strongly I could hear my teeth crunch.

"What if there's another reign of terror, hmm?" Lance was still advancing on Coraline, menacing. She lay prone on the ground and hadn't recovered enough to get up. "I want the compound, Coraline," Lance demanded. As he spoke, he moved into a position to stand over her. He took his boot placed it on her neck, holding her down. Coraline had already shifted back into a vampire, and bared her fangs to growl at him defiantly.

It was regrettable but also perhaps unavoidable that I registered the object Lance removed from his coat pocket with horror. In his hand he now held a large, polished, wooden stake.

Lance leaned down toward Coraline, holding up the stake. "Where is it?" She didn't answer and he raised the stake over his head, as if to plunge it into her chest.

I couldn't help the instinctive impulse that overtook me as I watched him threatening her. I vamped and sprang feet first through the window hurtling down to the floor. I kicked Lance in the back sending him sprawling. He skidded across the floor, right into the still burning chemical fire.

I stood up slowly, not taking my eyes off of Lance. After a few stunned seconds watching Lance on the far side of the room, Coraline got to her feet. She gave me a quick look, and then she grabbed a small metal box off a table top and ran for the exit door. I let her go. My full attention was on Lance.

The left arm of his coat had caught fire, as had his hand. Fire is not the vampire's friend. It's one of our weaknesses and any exposure should reduce us to ash. But far from panicking, Lance calmly extinguished the flames by using another part of his coat. When he was done he held his hand up.

Any other vampire I've known would have had a mangled, ashy stump instead of a hand. Lance though, his hand was intact, just puckered and blackened with burn marks. Lance began to laugh. He let out a creepy, satisfied chuckle. And as he held his hand up, I watched as the scars on his hand disappeared.

That's right, he can survive fire. He healed after it.

How is that possible? Where did this guy come from?

My brain wasn't fully functioning. I could only stare dumbly at that hand.

Still laughing, Lance turned to face me. "Looks like once again, Coraline has pulled you into all her trouble." A gleeful grin fixed on his mouth. He shook his head. "You really should have stayed out of this."

"I couldn't resist," I shot back at him. If Coraline and Lance are fighting over the existence of the cure, then I've been in this fight from the night I was turned.

He snarled at me with bared fangs and I returned the sentiment. I propelled myself into motion, jumping towards Lance to attack. Unfortunately, he did the same, flying at me and hitting me full force. As I was knocked to the ground I cracked my head on the concrete. There was a flash of white light, an explosion of pain in my skull before the world went dark.

When I woke up, Lance was gone.

* * *

><p>After a call to the Cleaner to dispose of the lab and a brief but essentially unproductive conversation with Josef which had amounted to his best friend saying pretty much 'I told you so', along with a repeat of his earlier advice to stay the hell out of Coraline and Lance's way, Mick had headed back to his apartment.<p>

He'd practically been yelling at Josef, not admittedly an uncommon occurrence. But he couldn't seem to shut this off. How was Lance able to regenerate from that fire? Why was Coraline showing up with this cure now? Not that he really thought Josef knew anything about Coraline's motives with the timing of this cure. Josef clearly had not been lying to him when he'd argued over and over again that a cure did not exist. He hadn't known about it, of that Mick was sure.

On the other hand, he would bet money that Josef could tell him more about Lance if he wanted to. Problem was he had no intention of doing any such thing. Even though Mick had a tendency to regard Josef as his best friend and an equal, a habit that was hard to break given Josef's youthful appearance and his cavalier, almost boyish, attitude, the truth remained that Mick was only in his eighties. Josef was over three times that age. That age was bound to garner some wisdom though life experience, largely of the 'don't get involved' variety. Sometimes it felt to Mick like he was the father figure bailing out a troubled teenager in Josef. Witness the incident with Lola and Black Crystal for example. In reality though, there were just as many instances, probably many more really, when it appeared that Josef felt like Mick's paternal influence, looking out for the well-being of his headstrong impetuous kid.

A headstrong impetuous kid that this time kept tangling with his manipulative, scheming, witch of an ex-wife as well as a very old, dangerous European vampire.

Alright, so Josef probably did have a point. Maybe none of this was healthy.

All these conflicting, confusing questions, not to mention a host of tumultuous emotions, consumed Mick's full attention as he returned home. His brain was spinnning so fast it almost made his head hurt. The only upside to the day was that the events had succeeded in distracting him from worrying about Beth and her rejection yesterday.

Still, if getting sucked into the mess that was Coraline for the last twenty-four hours had allowed him to shunt his fears over Beth to the back of his mind, they'd been far from eliminated. Her absence felt more like an unhealed wound. Even if he failed to always put his finger on what it was, something just felt wrong somehow. There was still a pain lingering in the background. Every time he brought himself close to considering what it would feel like if she couldn't forgive him for Josh's death, his body recoiled with a sick fear. The idea of her cutting him out of her life bothered him much more than he cared to admit or wanted to deal with right now.

The truth of this state of turmoil became immediately evident the moment he stepped from his elevator into the hallway outside his apartment. Just as yesterday with Lance, Mick's senses picked up the presence of another being waiting in his living space. Thankfully, the worry that rose through him dissipated quickly. It only took one deep breath to draw in the scent and identify that this was a far more pleasant intruder and he was struck right away with relief. And it wasn't the absence of Lance that his mind latched on to. It was the presence of Beth. However she felt about him in this moment, just her willingness to see him gave a sense of comfort and allowed his soul to relax a little.

As he found her, standing in a hallway alcove, she gave him a sheepish half smile. He could see in her stance and her expression that she was nervous regarding his reaction to her visit. Maybe she thought he'd be uncomfortable given their last conversation at the police station. She launched into a halting explanation, trying to explain her appearance on his door step, but he cut her off with a gentle reassurance that it was okay.

It truly was okay. He didn't need her to apologize for wanting to come see him. It did his heart good to see her. Even if they did have unresolved issues, her talking to him was far better than the alternative of her continuing to avoid him.

A short while later they were seated next to each other on the couch in his living room. He listened, saying little, as she poured out her story of the last twenty-four hours. It made him hurt for her as she recounted the roller coaster emotions that dropped her to the depths of grief and climbed up into anger. It made him wish he could do something, anything to alleviate her anguish. Unfortunately there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help, other than listen.

As she explained her finding the dinner date appointment in Josh's date book, he couldn't help a quick internal flare of indignation on Beth's behalf. Josh had intended to cheat on her? How could he have been so stupid to do that and give her up? Mick tried to push aside the small pang of guilt that reminded him Josh hadn't been blind enough to overlook Beth's own growing emotional attachment to someone else over the last months.

He was trying to listen to her while he struggled to consider all these factors and figure out how he felt about them, and for this reason he almost missed the meaning behind her next words.

"But it turns out she was helping him re-set his grandmother's stone for me."

"Oh," Mick nodded without thinking.

Then the realization of what she meant hit him. He could feel his eyes widen and it felt like his heart started to race, even though he knew it wasn't really. "Oh!" he repeated more loudly, sitting up a little straighter. "Josh was going propose to you?" He could hear the disbelief ringing in his voice.

Beth nodded, without looking at him. He lifted his hand to cover his mouth, absentmindedly, but his eyes never left her face. It was hard to comprehend what she was saying. Harder still to figure out how to feel about it given Josh's death. He couldn't even form words to speak. Beth took a deep breath and exhaled. Her expression was not just sad, but filled with doubt and regret.

"I'm so confused." She rubbed her temples with one hand. "I don't know if it makes this whole thing easier or harder."

She was quiet for a long moment and he waited for her to continue. His own brain was still tumbling, trying to imagine Beth married to another man. How would it have felt to step back away from her and watch her start her life with someone else? He couldn't fathom how difficult that would have been, and yet, while Josh had been lying there dying it's what he'd prayed for, the chance for her to have a happy life with a normal guy.

"I think the thing I'm struggling with is that I don't know what my answer would have been." She lifted her eyes to meet his.

His stomach lurched. She should have said yes right? The normal life with the normal, _human _guy, that's what she should have. But deep down, part of him wanted her to say she would have said no. Part of him wanted to hear _why _she didn't know how to answer Josh, and he hoped he knew the reason.

"When you proposed, how did you know it was right?"

He blinked at her in surprise, unsure how to respond to her question. One could easily argue that he'd made the worst mistake of his life in marrying Coraline, so whether or not he thought it had been a good thing looked different now than it did then. Still though, he couldn't deny that he'd been absolutely certain at the time that proposing to her had been what he wanted, what he was supposed to do.

"At the time, it just-it just felt right," he finally said. "But…"

His words got cut off by a knock on his front door, and his head swiveled over his shoulder in that direction. He turned to look back at Beth, unwilling to end this conversation.

"Go ahead," she reassured him with a faint smile.

After a pause to study her face and make sure she really meant her words, he reluctantly got up to answer the door.

When he reached the apartment entrance he pulled the door handle. He felt almost nothing as it swung open to reveal Coraline standing on the other side.

_Impeccable timing as always._

He could feel his face frozen in a grim mask of irritation. Still though, his stilted behavior did nothing to deter Coraline, who swiftly stepped through the threshold and engulfed him in a long hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she breathed when she'd moved back to look up at him.

Yeah, sure his health and safety was her first concern. Right. "Coraline, where did you go?"

Her eyes had moved over his shoulder, to stare at something beyond him, inside the apartment.

"I had to get away." Her gaze did not meet his.

"Excuse me." Beth's voice reached his ear and at almost the same moment she brushed past him, out into the exterior hallway.

_Damn it. No!_

He met Coraline's stare. "Just…" but he didn't have time to say more. He pushed past Coraline. "Beth?" he called out, following her. She didn't stop but was heading for the elevator with its still open door. "Beth!"

"It-it's okay," she stammered as she went. "I understand."

As she got into the elevator and punched the button to close the doors, her eyes met his.

She wasn't even close to okay. He could tell. And there was no way she understood. Yet still, with a heavy heart he let the doors slide shut and turned back to his apartment to face the other woman in his life. If Coraline was going to screw up his friendship with Beth, yet again, he was going to make damn well certain that she gave him some answers.

When he came back inside, he closed the apartment door behind him and found that Coraline had seated herself on his couch and was waiting for him with her hands neatly folded in her lap. "I think Beth is starting to like me." Her voice lilted up. "She didn't stab me this time."

A twinge of annoyance ran through him. _If you think we're discussing Beth you've got another thing coming._

He crossed around to stand at the end of his couch, staring down at her with a severe expression.

Her tone changed and grew serious. "You saved me back there."

Mick inhaled a sharp breath through his nose. "Yeah, well, I also burned you alive," he retorted, "so I guess that makes us even. I think it's about time you tell me what's going on."

"That man, Lance, is after me, and I need to get out of town." There was the barest of pauses before she continued. "Come with me." She blurted this last request out in a gush.

"I'm not going anywhere." He shot back without a thought. He could feel his face contorting, annoyed._ Do you really think you have any prayer of getting me to go away with you? _

Instead of continuing to discuss her delusional idea, he brought the subject back to more relevant topics. "I want you to tell me about Lance and what you took from him."

"Lance is from a very powerful, noble bloodline." She broke his eye contact to look down at her hands.

"So what does he want with you?" Mick shook his head. "Is this about the cure?"

Coraline didn't answer, only continued to avoid his gaze, now staring with a blank expression out into the room away from him.

His body tensed as his frustration level rose. Why could nothing ever be straight forward with her? She'd come here tonight, looking for him, seeking him out, asking him to leave with her. Now she didn't want to give him answers? This was ridiculous.

He took a few steps towards her. "Coraline, you're a vampire again, but you were human. I saw you. I smelled you." He could hear his tone rising in urgency. He was going to make her explain how this was possible if it was the last thing he did. "You ate food."

"I was human." She met his eyes and hurried to reply to him, sounding as if it were important that he believe her.

His heart dropped and he swallowed thickly. "So there is no real cure?" He forced the words out.

"The cure is mortal itself, it's only temporary."

"Well, what is it?" he snapped back at her. "Where does it come from?"

Coraline stood up and exhaled a breath. "It's an organic compound developed by a noble bloodline in the 18th century from local plants." She turned away from him to walk over to the fire place, standing in front of it and staring into the flames. "In this noble bloodline, there were seven brothers, all turned by the same sire: a cousin of King Louis XVI."

_Woah, what? _He stood motionless watching her, having difficulty wrapping his brain around what she'd just said. Eventually he shook his head and started walking toward her. "You're telling me…"

"King Louis XVI and various members of his extended bloodline… all vampires," she finished for him. "There's much more to the French revolution than is written in history books." She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips as if to say, if you only knew.

Mick felt his mouth gape open in shock, and he sat down on the marble in front of the fireplace. He was sure his eyes were the size of saucers. Of all the things she could have told him, he confessed this was not something he ever would have expected.

"The people discovered the existence of vampires," Coraline continued her story. "They tried to execute us by hanging, but eventually realized that burning or decapitating was the only way to do it. Ultimately, the guillotine was the method of choice during the reign of terror."

"So the reign of terror was partially a mass purge of vampires?" he asked, still a bit disbelieving.

"A vampire genocide," she nodded matter of factly. "A suspected vampire's finger was burned, and if the finger blistered, he was mortal... But if the finger immediately turned to ash, they were staked...and then sent to the guillotine. The compound temporarily masked the characteristics of vampirism. It allowed those who took it to pass the test."

Coraline moved away from the fireplace to sit on a chair in front of it, and Mick followed her. _"_And Lance is a member of this bloodline?" he asked. _French nobility, well that would explain the attitude._

"He is," she confirmed.

"So that's how you got the cure?" If Lance and the other members of his bloodline had used the cure in the past to escape execution at the hands of humans, it now made sense to Mick why he was so angry at Coraline for stealing it. It also explained why he was so desperate to get it back.

It was hard to believe any story Coraline told at face value. She was so adept at lying. But he couldn't see any ulterior motive to this tale, so he supposed it was mostly the truth. Mere stories about the history of the cure were only one thing though. The cure suddenly seemed so close to reality that he felt edgy, filled with nervous energy.

"Where is it?" he demanded. "I want to see it."

Coraline didn't answer him right away. Instead she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small metal box. She held it in front of him, lying flat on her outstretched hand.

"This is it," she said quietly.

He hesitated but eventually succeeded in lifting his own hand to pluck it from her palm with uncertain fingers. His stomach felt like it twisted and dropped.

_This can't be… I can't really be holding the cure. _The rational part of him was rebelling, not wanting to get his hopes up and trust Coraline. But deep down inside, a self-gratifying emotional need was shooting his adrenaline level skyward. _Please let this be real._

"I took it from Lance a year ago."

Mick examined the box. He slid the metal lid open to reveal the contents, a thick and gooey reddish paste. He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath through his nose, stretching out his sense of smell to see what he could pick up.

The substance did smell as if it were largely derived from plants, with the woody scent of rotting leaves and old flowers. Beyond that, there was something else lurking beneath, a faint tang that was unmistakably animal in nature, quite likely dried blood.

He opened his eyes and fixed them on Coraline's face. "How do I use it? How does it work?"

"You put it into an open wound and let your body absorb it."

"Is there any chance that this cure could be intensified to be made permanent?" He knew his tone was betraying more personal investment than he should be allowing himself. He knew that if Josef were present for this conversation he'd be screaming in protest about the track this entire conversation was taking, but it was too late for him to back down now.

"That's what I've been trying to do," Coraline told him, "but I haven't been successful."

That explained the lab, but how was she carrying out her experiments? "What, have you been testing it on vampires?"

"Just rogues." Coraline's head wobbled from side to side as she shrugged. "It helps with the research, and they need to be put down anyway, so I'm just killing two bats with one stone, really."

His eyes dropped away from her again to consider the substance in the small box. _Temporary humanity. _Would it be even worth it? An image of himself as a young man came back to him. Out in the sunshine, enjoying life on his own terms. Free from this need for blood, free from the ever present monster lurking within, the being that had inflicted pain on others out of a desire to survive. Free from the fear of hurting anyone.

Hell yes it would be worth it.

Coraline spoke, jolting him out of his thoughts, reading him, as she always did, far too well. "I took your life. Let me... let me give back what I can." His gaze shifted up to land on her face. His whole body felt like it was paralyzed by longing for something he hadn't dared to even dream about until recently. His emotions were raw and he was sure they were plastered on his face. Coraline smiled at him, a genuine expression of pleasure. "I'll need a sharp knife and some gauze."

Mick almost jumped out of his seat and ran into the kitchen to find what she'd asked for.

"And take off your jacket," she called after him.

"Is this all that's left?"

"No, there's more," she responded, "but not much. It's hidden."

Mick was back in the living room having retrieved everything. He handed Coraline the box containing the compound and a knife. Dropping the gauze on an end table next to her chair, he shrugged off his jacket, throwing it aside. As he sat down he began to roll up his shirt sleeve.

"Here?" he asked her, indicating his forearm.

"Yeah," she nodded. "That's good."

Coraline grabbed his arm firmly with her left hand, and picked up the knife with her right. She didn't hesitate, taking the blade and pressing it into his forearm. She slid it across his flesh to leave a two inch gash. Working quickly, she dipped the knife into the compound. With a last glance at him to confirm he had no second thoughts, he met her eyes and gave silent agreement, she pressed the substance into his open wound.

He stared at his arm as she took the knife away. Seconds passed and nothing happened. His chest felt tight and it struck him that he was holding his breath. He inhaled but didn't take his eyes off the cut on his arm. He held up his arm, closer to his face and flexed his hand a few times.

_Oh my God. _

The gash wasn't changing. The skin wasn't knitting back together.

"It's not healing," he said in amazement. He couldn't believe it. It didn't seem real.

"This is how it works," she told him. "It starts from the wound and then it just spreads throughout your whole body."

"You can start over with your research, right?" His voice was breathless and excited. He tore his eyes off of his arm to look at her. A broad smile was still set on her features.

She nodded. "We could," she agreed.

He stared at her. It felt like his heart had started to race, not a phantom sensation this time. There was one more question he needed answered.

"You once told me you were giving me the greatest gift by turning me."

Coraline shook her head, as her smile fled. An expression that might have been regret crossed her face. "That was a long time ago, Mick."

"Yeah, but what happened?" he pressed her. "Why this sudden interest in becoming mortal?"

"I wanted to feel life again." She sounded almost wistful.

He looked down at his arm. The cut was there. It hadn't healed.

_Life…_

"And maybe love can't exist without mortality," she added softly.

He met her eyes again, surprised by her words. Was she admitting a portion of guilt for the failure of their relationship? Had she really hoped that her becoming a human would allow him to love her again? Suddenly loving her seemed like a far off dream, so long ago. The loss of it was sad, but it didn't hurt anymore. He wondered what it would have been like if she'd been human when they'd met.

He didn't say anything, only watched as Coraline slipped off of her chair, and knelt in front of him. Moving in slow motion, she leaned forward, and touched her lips to his, a tender, sad, goodbye kiss. She held the kiss for a few seconds with her cool hand on his cheek.

_Do you forgive me now for not loving you_? The thought sprang into his head as she released him and he fought to collect his confused emotions.

"Mick, I really need to get out of here," she told him.

"Okay," he eventually nodded and answered in a subdued voice.

* * *

><p>They made it out of Mick's building and were crossing through a back alley to where Coraline had hidden her car. Mick was finding it hard to focus on anything other than the strange sensations coursing through his entire body. The feeling was almost euphoric.<p>

"I can feel it. Coraline, I feel warm." She laughed under her breath and he did the same. Suddenly, Coraline froze and Mick could see her body tense. She lifted her head and her eyes darted around.

"What?" He was alarmed.

He closed his own eyes and inhaled, trying to use his sense of smell to identify the source of the danger.

Nothing. He couldn't smell anything.

Before he could completely process this development, he was startled by a whooshing sound behind him. He spun around, as did Coraline, and found himself face to face with Lance. Lance and his lackey friend slash servant.

A creepy, cold smile fixed on Lance's mouth. "Hello, sister."

Mick's heart jumped and his head swiveled to look at Coraline. She had adopted a frightened, caught expression. His sense of smell may not have been up to par, but his brain still worked just fine. Coraline had left out a detail of her story. The noble bloodline that had developed the compound… she was one of the seven siblings.

Lance was her brother.

Lance turned his attention from Coraline back to Mick. Mick could feel Lance eyeing him with interest, but he couldn't take his own stare off of Coraline. Anger was starting to boil up through his veins.

"You gave him the compound," Lance directed to Coraline, amused.

"You set me up. Didn't you?" Mick accused her. He felt warm now alright. His body heat had risen with his temper.

"No." Coraline gave him a pleading look.

But he wasn't going to let her fool him again, not so easily. "You did this to take away my powers and get me killed," he spat at her through a clenched jaw.

"No," she shook her head emphatically. "No." Her voice was desperate and upset.

"Don't flatter yourself." Lance cut in, and Mick was forced to pull his attention off Coraline and turn back to Lance. "I could have killed you when you were a vampire. This isn't about you. This is between me and my sister."

The words were no sooner out of Lance's mouth, when his companion lurched forward with both hands to grab Coraline.

Coraline defended herself, striking the small vampire with both fists. Mick tried to push him back as well with a kick, but instead was knocked backward by a powerful blow to his chest from Lance's elbow. Mick stumbled away, the air driven from his lungs.

Mick sank to his knees, doubled over in pain. He couldn't breathe and the lack of oxygen was making the world tilt at a dangerous angle. He felt sick to his stomach. He could hear the sound of smacks and thuds, flesh striking flesh, as Coraline continued to fight Lance and his assistant, but Mick wasn't able to stand up and help her. Coraline cried out in an oof of pain, which was followed quickly by an enormous crashing sound.

He forced himself to open his eyes and looked up. Coraline had been thrown, and had landed on pile of debris stacked in front of a loading dock for an adjacent building. She was trying to extricate herself and stand up, but she wasn't moving fast enough. Lance's back was to him. Mick covered the few steps between them in a lunge, throwing his arms around Lance's shoulders in an attempt to tackle him before he could advance on Coraline again.

Lance spun around with scary speed, and began to pummel Mick. His fists connected first with Mick's guts and then with his head and jaw. Mick got in one good punch in return, before he was knocked to the ground.

Coraline had been fighting the other vampire, and was holding her own. She managed to send the guy hurtling against a brick wall. But when his friend dropped, Lance was on the move again. Mick watched Coraline strike Lance a few more times. Lance clearly had an advantage on her as he returned her blows.

Mick started searching the alley way for something, anything, he could use against Lance. His eyes hit on a large metal pipe, part of some construction materials that had been stacked neatly before Coraline had tumbled them all over the place. He got up and quietly circled over to the pipe. Lance and Coraline were still fighting and didn't notice him. Lance's friend had sat up, but was shaking his head and looking stupid. Good, Mick hoped Coraline had cracked the guy's head and it wouldn't heal so fast.

Mick grabbed the pipe and ran back to where Coraline was starting to lose her battle with Lance. Mick got right behind Lance, raised the pipe, and brought it down across Lance's shoulders with as much strength as he could muster.

Before he knew what was happening, he was airborne, flying through the air. Lance had propelled him upwards and away, with an easy toss. Mick smashed down into something, hard and metal. Pain exploded in his head, his spine, and his limbs, everywhere. He had landed on a car, which he rolled off of, and landed flat on his back on the pavement.

He lay there, stunned and unable to move. The pain was unbelievable.

_Well… that went well. _

His mind was feebly screaming at him to get up, but his body was completely and totally ignoring the request. It knew what was good for it, and right now… that was to stay down and not move. He could feel blood trickling down his face and his left eye only perceived a blurred red fog. At least he assumed the wet substance he felt was blood. For the first time in over fifty years, he couldn't smell it.

Lance's face appeared, looming above him. "You wanted to feel human again." The same haughty, superior smirk as before was back on his face. "Here you are. How does it feel Mick?" His eyebrows contracted and the smirk became a sneer. "Ah… blood doesn't taste the same now, does it?"

Mick met Lance's eyes. As he watched, Lance pulled out the polished wooden stake he'd seen earlier in the lab from a coat pocket. Through a haze of physical agony, Mick's pulse still sped up as if his heart would jump out of his chest. Lance held the stake up as if about to plunge it into Mick's chest and there was no mistaking the gleam in his eye. He would happily eliminate Mick, permanently.

In a brief moment of clarity Mick knew that Lance hated him, and he wondered why.

Just as Mick was steeling himself for the piece of wood to rip into his chest, Coraline's voice rang out.

"Wait."

Mick turned his head to look at her. She was standing only short distance away. Lance dropped the stake to his side, and pivoted in her direction as well.

"I'll go with you," she told Lance in a shaky voice. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the metal box that held the cure, showing it to Lance. "And I'll give you the rest, but you have to leave him out of this."

Lance didn't move immediately, standing motionless to consider. Finally he turned away from Mick completely, dropping the stake to his side. He strode over to Coraline, and snatched the metal box from her hand. Lance's lackey vampire had recovered himself to come up behind her, although he stayed far enough away to keep out of her reach, Mick noticed.

"Kneel," Lance snarled at her.

She remained standing.

"Kneel down!" He barked his command again, louder this time.

Mick watched them, anxious for her, and tried to force himself to sit up. He groaned as his back muscles convulsed sharply. He couldn't move. Horrified, he saw Coraline do as she was told, kneeling down in front of Lance.

_Coraline… Don't!_

"If you take me to him, you know what will happen."

_Him? What him? What will happen?_

Lance shrugged and shook his head. "You've made your choices, sister." Moving behind her, he lay his free hand on her shoulder. He crouched down placing his mouth near her ear. "You chose to bring this ungrateful mortal into our bloodline without his consent and without our blessing. And now you've chosen to betray us with this compound." He leaned in closer and whispered. "There will be consequences."

Mick couldn't pull his eyes off of Coraline's face. He'd seen her act frightened so many times before. But this was different. She was really, truly terrified. She had to know the stake would paralyze her and she'd be victim to where ever Lance wanted to take her. And Mick thought it was the _where_ part that was causing the majority of the fear.

Lance brushed Coraline's cheek with a kiss and her eyes slipped shut. As he pulled his mouth away, he lifted the stake and plunged it into her chest.

Mick lifted his head off the ground weakly, staring at Coraline, scared for her. He wished he could do something to help her, but couldn't. She fell back into Lance's arms, and he lifted her up in one swift motion. She hung limp, her head tilted back almost upside down with her eyes open. They met Mick's in pained desperation.

Lance gave Mick a last look, smiling. "Welcome to the family."

Both Lance, with Coraline in his arms, and his assistant jumped straight up into the air, landing on the roof of the three story building that bordered the alley, and then they were gone.

Mick was left alone in the alley. He was injured but alive. His brain was stuck on a single question.

_What's going to happen to her?_

* * *

><p>After Lance took Coraline away, I eventually was able to stand up and get back to my apartment. Thankfully we hadn't traveled that far from it and it wasn't a long walk back. The strange side benefit of being in so much pain was that I didn't have the energy to think about Coraline and what she'd done for me.<p>

She could have at least tried to run away while Lance was distracted. That's what she did earlier in the lab. But this time she stayed. Maybe she knew that Lance really would kill me if he got the chance.

I know she created all this mess, so in a way her punishment is just. Still, it wasn't easy watching Lance take her away and not knowing what her fate will be.

I do feel confident that Coraline's problems are her own now. It's not my position or responsibility to step in. Maybe I'm getting to be a little bit more like Josef. I'm going to stay out of it.

Somehow though, I have the bad feeling that I haven't seen the last of Lance. Who knows when or where he'll reappear, and for what reason, but I can't say I'm looking forward to that day.

There is another unfortunate consequence of Coraline's actions catching up with her. I have now seen the cure for myself and have used it. I'm living proof that it works, at least to some extent, although I have no idea how long this will last. With Lance in the picture, I think it's a safe bet that I won't be getting my hands on the original compound again anytime soon.

When I got back to my apartment I used a syringe to take a sample of my blood for storage. It's the only connection to the cure that I have right now.

And with that business done, there were other more important matters to attend to. Forgetting the day's drama with Coraline, forgetting the fight with Lance and my aches and pains, I was determined to let everything else go. Because I had no idea how long this humanity would last and when the cure will stop working, I wasn't taking any chances. If there's one thing I want to be able to do while I'm human… one thing that's in my power tonight anyway… it is eat… actual food.

I could try to tell you it wasn't as good as I remembered it… and it wasn't…

It was better.

I wish I could say I'd spent the night sleeping in a comfortable bed. The problem was I don't own a bed. But still, the couch was still a hell of an improvement from the freezer.

The moment I woke up the next morning I was struck with panic. Had it already ended and I hadn't noticed? Had I already changed back? I jumped up and went straight to the mirror to look at my face.

There was a large cut on my cheek bone, a cut on my jaw and another over my eye. It was right then that I realized I still hurt. Everything still hurt… quite a lot.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I was still human.

* * *

><p>Mick parked his car in an open spot and began to walk across the grass. There were plenty of others milling about under the trees, waiting for the service to begin. His eye sight wasn't as acute as it had been before the cure, but in the distance he could still see Lieutenant Carl Davis, standing near a crowd of police officers. He made a mental note not to get too close to them. Davis was extremely observant, and he didn't want his injuries drawing attention.<p>

As he threaded his way through the grave stones, he kept scanning the area. She had to be here somewhere.

Finally he spotted her, standing alone, near a limo. Her eyes found him at almost the same moment.

Both human. He was going to talk to her, and for the first time in her life, they were both human. The wall between them had fallen, at least for now.

He kept limping along in her direction. As he got closer he could see surprise and concern in her features. She'd obviously registered his injuries.

"Oh, my God, what happened to your face?"

"It's a long story that ended in a big fight," he explained. He took a breath. "Coraline's gone."

"Oh." Her eyes darted away from him then back. She looked like she wasn't sure how to respond to this news.

"It's not meant to be," he assured her. "Never was."

"Yeah." Beth nodded briefly and looked down at her hand, at Josh's engagement ring that she wore on her left ring finger. She twisted the ring slightly. When she looked up at him again her eyes were damp. "I... I kind of know how that feels." Mick didn't need to be able to smell her scent, or hear her heart beat to know what she was feeling. Her grief and pain were written in her body language and her face.

Her eyes stayed on his face and her expression slowly changed, moving from confusion to dawning realization. "Wait a second. Are you human?" Her voice was breathless with shock.

He smiled a little. "For now, yeah."

She stared at him for a moment, speechless. "How does it feel?" she asked once she'd recovered.

He narrowed his eyes, thinking. "The pain, the sun," he turned his face up and closed his eyes, letting himself feel the warmth on his skin, "the mortality." He opened his eyes to look at her again, and he could feel his smiling widening. "It feels amazing," he answered her honestly.

Her gaze was glued to him, wide eyed. Her eyes kept searching his face as if she was having trouble believing what he was telling her.

A police officer in full dress uniform broke the silence, approaching Beth and inviting her to sit as the service was about to start. She replied that she was coming and asked Mick to excuse her, before walking away to the chairs next to the grave site.

The coffin was propped up on a metal stand over a hole in the ground. A large display of flowers sat on top, along with many more alongside. Beth took her seat, next to what Mick guessed were Josh's family members. The crowd assembled around the chairs and the minister began to speak. Mick stood at the back of the group, a respectful distance away, but in Beth's direct line of sight. If nothing else, he wanted her to be able to see him and know that he was there if she needed him.

"We're gathered here to celebrate the life of Josh Lindsey, whose journey has come to an end," the minister said as way of opening. "While the event that brought us all here together is nothing less than tragic, part of what makes life so invigorating is its finite nature. We're all mortal. Our time is limited."

Beth closed her eyes and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"It's part of what allows us to love and hurt," he continued. "And in the end it inspires us to make the most of the time we are given."

Beth opened her eyes and she met Mick's gaze holding it as it lingered on her from across the distance.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer**: The following is an adaptation of the TV show Moonlight. I do not own these characters or plot elements from the show.

**Author's Note:**Finally back with a new chapter. This one is a little different because it is an original scene. I wanted to fill in what I thought was a gap between two episodes and couldn't pass up putting this out there. I could keep playing with this chapter and editing it forever, taking stuff out or adding more, so I'm going to stop doing that and go ahead and post it. Hope you don't mind the long long sections in this that are more in the character's head and less with dialogue. Just had a great deal I wanted to say about this person and their thoughts.

Up next will be episode 13, Fated to Pretend.

Sorry for any typos.

To all who read these chapters and to all who leave a review, thank you, thank you. A big thanks to Chalicewell for giving me the inspiration to write this chapter. Hope you like it.

* * *

><p>Have you ever wondered why it is that humans are afraid of the dark? It's a universal fear. As far as childhood fears go, it's probably at the top of the list. Of course, children are a bit more honest when it comes to admitting what it is that scares them. Adults like to pretend they're beyond all that, but if you've ever had to walk alone through an alley or down an unfamiliar street when the lights are out, I'll bet you've felt it too. Why is that?<p>

It's simple… it's because you can't see your surroundings. You know that anything or anyone could be lurking in the shadows. You have no idea what's out there and because you can't see them, you're scared.

It's a human failing, only one among many. Quite often your senses aren't really that good. I myself am more fortunate. I haven't had anything to fear from the dark for quite some time now. But then again, my eye sight is much more acute than most people's.

It's not just my vision, but all my senses are better. My hearing… I can hear your heart pounding in your chest. My sense of smell… I can smell the fear pouring out of your body. Even my skin tingles at the slightest change in the breeze or drop in temperature.

No, I don't have much to be afraid of when it comes to the unknowns in my environment. My senses help keep me hyper aware and that gives me an advantage. Even if something does threaten me, I've also been blessed with fast reflexes and super human strength. I guess you could say there's a lot you can't immediately appreciate about me from looking at my boyishly handsome exterior.

Believe me when I tell you, I am grateful for every asset I've been granted. I just wish that appreciation extended to everyone that finds themselves in circumstances such as mine. How can you not love this and the power it gives you?

Okay, yes, yes, fine... I acknowledge my existence is not without its down sides. I have on occasion admired some of the multitudes, the bikini clad female variety mostly, that makes their way to the sand at ocean's edge and spread themselves over beach towels or in chairs to soak in the sunshine. I can't say that I remember what doing such things felt like. Relaxing on the beach wasn't something we had time for when I was a human. Then again, I do come from colder, harsher climes than California. Now I can sit in the comfort of my air conditioned car and watch the humans burning themselves to a crisp. It looks nice I guess.

But overall, I'll take being a vampire over humanity every day of the week.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for every vampire I know. Take Mick for example. From the moment Coraline first introduced us, over fifty years ago at one of her parties, I knew this could not work out. Why did I think that exactly? Did I think he wasn't cool enough to pull off the whole vampire mystique?

Okay, I grant you that he had something of a wide eyed, innocent, GI Joe quality. He was, after all, following Coraline around like a lost puppy dog. And she loved to believe she could hold his leash, let me tell you. Still though, I asked him about the war during that first night at the party. I could see a shadow cross his face as he paused and stared back at me before answering. I could see he had his scars, even if he would never tell me what they were. And he was hardly the bland man in the gray flannel suit type that populated the time period, going to work in advertising and coming home to a nice house in the suburbs. He was a musician for crying out loud, or at least he thought he was. The cool factor wasn't a problem. You could see the potential there. Besides that, there are plenty of vampires that will never achieve the vampire attitude you read about in books or see in movies, not if they lived ten lifetimes.

Maybe I thought he lacked the killer instinct and that needing to feed on human beings to survive would bother him. Yes, I did think that. He'd been a medic in the war after all. Clearly saving human life was a priority for him. But no one who'd known me as a human would have ever thought I'd be capable of even half the things I've done as a vampire, so I couldn't use that as an excuse. Plus I knew he had a temper. Coraline was so proud to tell me of how she got him worked up to the point of breaking a glass wall on the exterior of her house, just to get to her. She didn't tell that story in front of him by the way. I'm fairly certain he wouldn't have appreciated that.

No at the end of the day, the reason I thought Mick was not cut out to be a vampire was simply because he loved life. He loved being alive. And after having survived the war, I think he had no reason to believe that his life would be taken from him or cut short. He thought he had many happy years ahead of him with the beautiful woman on his arm as his wife.

The world Mick lived in, the nineteen fifties, was not the same as the world I lived in when I was turned in the sixteen hundreds. He had so much less to fear from the world.

Me on the other hand… I was lucky to have lived to the ripe old age of twenty eight. War, famine and plague were the realities of my human life. First there was a little thing called the Thirty Years War. Hard to avoid the fighting when it's taking place all around you.

War inevitably leads to hunger and disease. Having enough food to survive was a constant challenge when I was human. I know what it feels like to be on the brink of starvation. Thankfully it's much easier for me to obtain blood as a vampire. Finally, if you escaped the first two, then there was the third. Typhus, dysentery, black plague took many victims, slowly and painfully, people I knew and cared about. There was no real medicine, no antibiotics in the seventeenth century.

I wasn't even old enough to have left my twenties, and yet I knew I'd already outrun death, and I was afraid it was catching up. This puts you in quite a different mindset.

The irony is I only became aware of vampirism because of witch trial hysteria. From 1626 through 1631 witch fever swept through my country. Hundreds of innocent people were put to death- men, women and many children. People I knew were burned at the stake, some for reasons as silly as being too pretty or committing the sin of dancing. It was horrifying and sickening. After having survived so much and come so far, having made it into relative old age, I was not about to die, powerless, at the whims of the church. (Side note, I've never actually met a real witch by the way, not in over four hundred years.)

While some humans did know about the existence of vampires and others had their suspicions, wide spread awareness of vampires didn't reach my country till fifty years later. Some vampires were put to death during the witch trials, possession by a demon they called it. Being burned at the stake was an extremely effective method of killing vampires, but a human had to survive catching one first. Since the humans were at a large disadvantage in the strength and agility department, that task proved extremely challenging

They came for a close friend of mine, someone I trusted, and that person turned before my eyes when threatened. I hadn't known what vampires were, let alone that I knew one personally. I watched my friend kill the attackers. Far from being repulsed, I was fascinated. The power this person possessed was awe inspiring, the strength. I wanted it too. I wanted to escape all of the tribulations that were humanity, especially when I saw their self-healing abilities and heard about their long lives. I begged to be turned, and eventually my friend agreed.

Becoming a vampire gave me so much I thought I'd never have, vitality, power, and a long life. Yes, that has a come at a cost, but at the time I believed it was worth it.

I do know that Mick didn't have the choice I had. He didn't have the dangers of my human life or the world I existed in. Even now, he still can't get past what he lost, what he was forced to give up.

On some level I understand. When I asked my friend to turn me, I only thought about my fears and the hardships I would be leaving behind. Mick, on the other hand, wasn't trying to escape anything when he was turned. Right now is a different story. He has a list of things about his life that he refuses to accept. He's been facing these challenges and difficulties for over fifty years, far longer than I coped with my humanity, and he wants nothing more than to be rid of his problems. He sees the cure as a way to achieve all of that.

This leaves me, of course, with new problems of my own. I confess that being a vampire does present some issues I could never have dreamed of. Little things like how to cope with my best friend's desire to give up the relative safety of this life, and go back to the vulnerable world of humans.

* * *

><p>Josef watched the elevator doors open in front of him and strode out down the hallway. He was currently on the penthouse level of Mick's apartment building and was approaching the stainless steel door that led into Mick's living space.<p>

Any normal person would have knocked on the door or rung the buzzer. Of course Josef didn't really consider himself in the same category as Mick's clients and other associates. None of those people had a key fob to unlock the front door. Whether or not Mick really appreciated Josef's coming and going as he pleased without a knock of warning didn't concern him. Besides, since Josef had been responsible for finding this apartment for Mick in the first place, a tactic designed to pry him out of Coraline's lethal talons, he figured that entitled him to do as he pleased. It wasn't like Mick ever entertained any guests that would dictate a certain level of privacy anyway.

Mick's self-imposed isolation was despite Josef's active encouragement towards the opposite. For years he'd actively campaigned for Mick to go out and find someone to bring home and have fun with, help distract him from his usual brooding loner mentality. He hadn't suggested he go out and seduce a freshie mind you. He knew Mick had hang-ups in the accidentally killing a human department, another by product of Coraline's twisted and screwed up sireship. The last thing Josef wanted was for Mick to end up worse off mentally instead of better. No, another vampire would have done just fine in the blowing off steam department. And hey, no worries about breaking their fragile bodies, it would have been a win-win in Josef's mind.

There had been plenty of attractive female cleaners practically throwing themselves at Mick from time to time too. Years ago Josef knew Mick had given in and had at least a few flings with female vampires, but nothing had ever lasted long enough to pull him out of his funk and enjoy life. Mostly from what Josef could see they'd been quasi angry romps designed to piss off Mick's ex-wife.

To make matters worse, Beth had come along. Not the adult Beth of the past five months, but child Beth and her kidnapping. On the up side, it had given Mick the strength to break from Coraline for good, to kill her in fact, as a means of protecting himself and the child. He'd come out on the other side more hopeful, more sad too, but less angry. It had felt like Mick had been given a renewed sense of purpose, a reason to exist. In Josef's opinion it had made Mick much easier to live with in many ways.

The down side was he'd become a god damn Boy Scout. No drinking of blood from the source, determined to live by the rules and morals of humans. While Josef felt like he in no means abused or tortured humans, there was a reality that vampires had certain needs that had to be met. Needs that only could be satisfied by humans. And besides, it wasn't healthy to constantly suppress your innate nature all the time. So what if Josef occasionally lost his temper and threw a human in a tar pit? It was probably because they deserved it.

Mick disagreed, opting instead to become a paragon of strength and virtue, at least by the relative standards of vampire behavior. Well, to each his own Josef supposed, even if it was annoying.

Josef could easily point out that Mick's determination to be a _good _vampire, however he defined this status, did not make his life any easier or less complicated. If Mick cared less about helping the poor innocent humans that needed him, he'd get himself into far fewer near death experiences. Despite the regenerative powers of vampirism, there were plenty of ways for them to get killed.

Josef was uncomfortably sensitive about that particular subject right now, having survived several assassination attempts in the last month. Of course, he was also aware that if Boy Scout Mick hadn't felt obligated to track him to New York after his office explosion, the hit man probably would have succeeded and Josef would be dead by now. You couldn't have it both ways. He knew he was alive today because Mick cared enough to make sure he stayed that way.

Josef felt an irritating stab of displeasure when he thought of the ruins that had become his office. Rebuilding was a colossal pain that he was not in the mood for. Not to mention it put him in the position of seeking out other people when he needed them, instead of simply demanding they come to him and deal with him on the high ground that was his personal space.

Although, in terms of tonight's visit to Mick's humble abode, Josef had the distinct impression that finding Mick and cornering him at home was the only way he'd see him right now. Josef got the uneasy sense that Mick was avoiding him. Of course it was also true that Josef had needed a few days alone to recuperate after returning from New York, so the silence had gone both ways for a short while.

Before returning to Los Angeles, Beth had given Josef Sara's diary. Josef knew that Sara's father didn't want the book to fall into his hands, so whatever means Beth had used to get it so that he could have it, he was grateful. Reading the precious handwritten scrawl on those pages and being given insight into Sara's thoughts had brought an immediate, overwhelming, bittersweet pain. It was like hearing her voice again or her laugh, like watching her eyes twinkle up at him. After finishing the last page he'd felt swallowed up again by the darkness that he'd felt following Sara's failed turning. The accompanying paralysis had taken some time to recover from.

Part of him had stayed away to avoid Mick seeing any more of him in a vulnerable emotional state, but also because he was embarrassed by the omissions from his past. In their long friendship, Josef had never brought himself to tell Mick about his love for Sara and his miserable failure to turn her.

Not that he'd ever shared a blow by blow of his four hundred year history with Mick. There was quite a lot that he hadn't mentioned. In this particular case though, in light of Mick's quite obvious strong feelings for Beth, and his outright admission to Josef of his fears concerning a physical relationship between a vampire and a human, Josef knew his own story could have helped. At the best he could have reassured Mick that it was possible to be with Beth without killing her. At minimum, maybe it would have eased Mick's mind that falling in love with a human wasn't so unusual. It happened.

Instead Josef had opted to keep his mouth shut and his history to himself. For starters, he didn't relish anyone knowing, even Mick, that he'd done something as stupid and reckless as fall in love. It made you irrational, careless. He wanted people to think he was beyond all that. He'd spent years lecturing Mick, and any other male vampire that would listen, not to get involved with human women in particular. It could only lead to trouble. Furthermore, given Mick's revulsion to subjecting a human to life as a vampire, Josef had thought that Mick might hate him, condemn him for what he'd done. Hell, part of him felt like he deserved that much.

Despite his desire to avoid discussing this particular complicated chapter in his history, eventually he'd regained enough composure to face Mick again and deal with the consequences, if there were any. He'd realized it was indeed possible that Mick would keep quiet anyway, having always been more than a little reluctant to discuss his feelings regarding his favorite human female.

In the end, Josef needn't have worried, two cataclysmic events had disrupted Mick's life and put his focus elsewhere. And while Josef was grateful to be out of the hot seat, neither development could be seen as good, and one or both were undoubtedly responsible in some way for Mick's current disappearing act.

First, Beth's boyfriend Josh had been killed by some thugs, a case Josef had only really heard about in the news. The article he'd read made it clear that one certain Mick St. John, Private Detective, had taken heroic efforts to attempt to save D.A. Joshua Lindsey's life. While Josef did not condone vampires drawing attention to themselves in ways that landed their names in the paper, in this case at least there was a good reason.

Josef felt terrible for Beth. He really did. He kind of liked the pretty blond. Beyond that, he definitely liked the effect she had on Mick. He was showing interest again… romantic interest… in someone, anyone. Josef almost wished he could give her an award for achieving that alone. No matter how long their relationship lasted, and even though most human and vampire romantic relationships were almost inevitably doomed, Josef thought that Mick's interest in Beth was at least a sign that he'd finally moved beyond Coraline. There was no way he was going to be anything but happy about that. Still though, whether Beth had ultimately decided to break Mick's heart and tell him she'd stay with Josh or if she'd chosen to break Josh's heart instead, Josef had hardly wanted the outcome to be Josh's death. Killing people that deserved it was one thing. This guy however, clearly did not deserve to die a violent young death. Losing someone was always horrible, that much Josef had learned in four hundred years, and he hated that Beth was going through it.

But before Josef had even gotten the chance to ask Mick how he was coping with his would be girlfriend's loss, he'd gotten sidetracked by a different tragedy.

Lance.

Mick's finding himself on that man's radar fully qualified as a crisis in Josef's opinion. From what Josef understood, Lance was powerful, ruthless, almost sadistic, and above all, he was used to always getting what he wanted. European aristocracy had a tendency to be that way. Josef knew this from personal experience, having spent over one hundred years becoming all too well versed in the nuances and perversions of European vampires before leaving them behind.

Long before the French Revolution where so many vampires had met the same fate as the human nobility and been killed, Josef had spent time in the courts of several countries. At one point he'd even held delusions of climbing the power structures of the old world. Unfortunately he'd never had an interest in power for power's sake as most of the vampires surrounding him in those days did. Wine, woman, and fresh blood, plus the comforts of the good life were more his style. For a while ingratiating himself with the powerful vampires in the nobility had helped him achieve that.

But as the years rolled on, he couldn't abide the desire of those around him to brutalize and torment both humans and other vampires for amusement. He couldn't stand their endless politicking and back stabbing to gain a more favorable position with those in power. And above all, he'd grown weary of their endless obsession with the purity of vampire blood lines and lineage.

Ultimately, Josef had objected to such hideous behavior on too many occasions. He'd also had the nerve to point out that their actions constituted a very real risk of exposure to an angry human mob, one which while weaker individually, could be roused to superior strength if given greater numbers. The reign of terror had ended up proving his observation correct, but fortunately he'd been long gone by then. Josef's vocal viewpoints had not sat well with the vampires in power and he'd felt his life was at risk. Thus he'd ended up sailing to the relative safety and freedom of the new world.

When Mick had approached him with questions about Lance a few days ago, Josef had felt an icy shiver run through him. This was saying something, considering that his normal sleeping arrangements consisted of an industrial strength freezer.

Josef had heard through the grapevine that most of the vampire population in Europe had modernized with the current times. Just as most aristocratic rule had been overthrown in the course of history throughout the western world, so too had the culture of nobility lost favor among vampires. Unfortunately, he was also aware that a few old guard didn't have an interest in adapting or changing. Apparently, Lance's family was among these.

He hadn't gotten the chance to explain to Mick what he could be up against. He had just wanted to stick to the same message he'd had for decades now. Stay away from Coraline and you'll survive. Whatever she'd done to piss off Lance and his family, Mick needed to keep out of it.

Not that Mick had listened. So what else was new? It disturbed Josef more than a little that the last he'd actually seen Mick in person he'd already fought with Lance, and was determined to find Coraline and force her to give him more details about what was going on. After that, radio silence. Aside from a few text messages brushing him off, which at least meant he wasn't dead, Josef had neither seen nor spoken to Mick. Of course earlier today had been Joshua Lindsey's funeral, so Josef had thought it best to cut Mick a little slack, but by now too much time had gone by. He wanted to talk to Mick, and if that meant showing up unannounced at his apartment, it wouldn't be the first time.

Josef held up his key fob near the apartment door until he could hear the click of the latch releasing, and then swung the door open, allowing him access to the interior. He only got two steps inside before he stopped.

_It's dark? Why are all the lights off?_

Josef did a double take and checked his Rolex watch. No, it was almost 1am. Not normally a time that Mick would be asleep. Although, Josef assumed Mick had been up a good chunk of the day with the funeral and all, still this was a bit early to be in the freezer wasn't it?

_Maybe he's not home?_ Josef inhaled a deep breath and found Mick's scent. So he was here somewhere. This knowledge, however, was only reassuring for about thirty seconds.

_Why does he smell like…? _Josef sniffed the air again. His stomach felt like it dropped a foot, and he remained rooted to the spot in disbelief. _No… he didn't! _

But it was there and it was unmistakable. Human, the scent was Mick's yet it was also human. Josef focused the rest of his senses, trying to gather more information. Once he was searching for it, he could dimly hear Mick's blood rushing in his veins, and his heart pumping, not the slow catatonic waltz of a vampire, but the urgent thumpa, thumpa, thumpa of a mortal.

_He really did it. He found the cure! He's…. he's human. _A surge of fear and sadness swept through Josef leaving an aching tightness in his chest. How many times had he told himself never to get attached? To humans, to vampires, both friends and romances, you came to count on them and then they died. Is that what would happen to Mick now?

From the rhythm of his breathing, Josef gathered that right now his friend was most likely asleep. He had apparently elected to use his sofa for this purpose. Not that he had much of a choice, if Josef remembered correctly there was an empty room upstairs that should have been a bedroom, but Mick had never bothered to buy a bed for it.

_Guess you really didn't have many romantic encounters in this place huh? _The inane thought jumped into Josef's head, filling space emptied by shock. He felt too stunned to think clearly.

After standing there a few seconds too long, Josef gave himself a mental shake. _Alright Kostan, pull it together. You are a four hundred year old vampire, not a bewildered child._ Now was not the time to freak out he reminded himself. Whether this was the best thing that ever happened to him, as Mick was bound to believe, or closer to what Josef feared, an impulsive disaster, it was a situation that needed to be handled. In order to do that, he needed answers, lots of them.

Josef began moving again across the room and around the couch so that he could get a better look at Mick. His newly regained confidence wavered as he got a look at the visible side of Mick's face which was a mess of cuts and bruises. The sight made Josef feel ill.

After his initial wave of alarm passed, a sense of disgruntled exasperation perked up inside Josef. _You're a human and you already got your beat up? Really?_ Part of him hoped that it hurt. Served him right. The words, _I told you so,_ rang in Josef's head.

But had he? Josef tried searching his brain to remember. Had he ever argued with Mick as to why he shouldn't take the cure if he could find it? As he thought back, he didn't think that conversation had ever taken place.

Initially he had vehemently, passionately argued that a cure didn't exist. How could it if in his four hundred years he'd never heard of it? He'd known quite a few vampires whose age exceeded his own, and none of them had ever said anything about one. Of course, most of them would have been offended by the mere suggestion that they'd want to go back to humanity. There had been a few though, individuals who felt like Mick did and would have gladly taken the risks if it meant they could also enjoy the benefits. Where ever Coraline had obtained the cure, and Josef was thinking it was a safe bet she'd stolen it from Lance and his cronies, they'd done an awfully good job of keeping it a secret.

When Mick reported he'd become convinced beyond a doubt that Coraline was the human Morgan Vincent, Josef had ultimately no choice but to believe him. Of course this led to all sorts of disturbing new questions, none of which Josef liked the answers he'd come up with. He knew Coraline was playing some sick game with Mick, perhaps because she couldn't stand for Mick to have even a fleeting moment of happiness with Beth. But Josef had really never thought, even for a second, that Coraline would actually give Mick the cure. Okay, yes fine, she'd taken it and still been able to somehow become a vampire again. She'd survived her time as a human. On the other hand, Josef thought she had to know she'd gotten lucky. The risks of Mick getting himself killed while vacationing in a human body had to be astronomically higher, even if he could turn back into a vampire as she somehow had.

So why was it Josef hadn't warned him of this at their last meeting when Mick had been ranting and raving about tracking down Coraline and forcing her to tell him the truth about the cure? Beyond a belief that arguing with Mick would have been pointless and serve no purpose, he would do whatever he damn well wanted, Josef really knew how important this was to Mick, and didn't want to take that hope away. He'd been his friend for far too long not to respect how strongly he felt about the subject.

Thinking that at the time was one thing though. Seeing him lying here and knowing how much closer he'd brought himself to death was quite another. It was an unpleasant sensation, churning his insides from fear to anger now.

He shot another glare at the Mick's prone form, slumbering peacefully on the couch, as he walked past the apartment's living room to the cabinet where Mick kept his liquor. Josef pulled out a cut glass bottle containing what he sincerely prayed was a decent Scotch, removed the stopper and poured some into a tumbler. He paused to stare at the glass and then gave another look at Mick on the couch, before deciding to pour himself a decent amount more.

Leaving the bottle on countertop, he proceeded to sip his drink as he ambled back into the living room, flipping the wall switch to ignite the flames in the fireplace as he went. A white yellow glow lit the room and he sank into one of the two arm chairs sitting in front of the fireplace.

The noise of the front door opening and closing, the sound of footsteps crossing the space, the smell of an intruder, the light from the fire… if Mick had ever chosen to take a nap on the couch when he was a vampire, of course why would he do that when he could use his freezer upstairs but still, if Mick had fallen asleep on his couch any one of these small disturbances to his space would have awoken him. Right now as a human he was completely unaware that Josef was in the room.

_Jesus Mick, I could be an axe murder and you'd have no idea I was here. _Or Lance, he could be Lance sitting here next to his defenseless friend… not a pleasant thought.

"Alright sleeping beauty, rise and shine."

No response from Mick. Josef rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink.

"Mick, wakey, wakey." Josef tried again a little louder.

The figure on the couch did not move, did not twitch, gave no indication that he'd heard anything. Josef exhaled a groan of irritation and leaned forward to place his glass on the coffee table.

He watched his friend a second longer. "WAKE UP MICK!" Josef shouted as loudly as possible across the room.

That worked.

"Huh? Huh? What?" Mick bolted upright to a sitting position, stammering panicked words at a rapid clip. His head swiveled around searching the room, but Josef could tell from his squinting, sleep muddied gaze he wasn't seeing much. "Wha… What's going on?" His left hand clutched the back of the couch in a white knuckled grip.

"What going on?" Josef answered him in a placid tone. "Hmm, I think that should be my line right now shouldn't it?"

Mick's eyes finally focused and he quit looking around, stopping on Josef sitting across the room from him. He didn't speak for a moment, only exhaled a breath. Finally he shook his head, and lifted his hand to scrub his face.

"Josef, shit, you scared the hell out of me." Mick dropped his hand and lay back down on the couch, his head resting on a cushion at the far end. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night." He closed his eyes again.

"Well gee Mick, I don't know. Maybe it's because I don't usually sleep at night. I sleep during the day." Josef responded. "How quickly they forget," he muttered under his breath.

"I didn't forget," Mick snapped sounding annoyed. "I meant what is the reason for your visit?"

"Oh you know, the usual, just dropping by to say hello, chat, catch up on gossip." Josef gave Mick a sarcastic smile. "We've both been so busy, I haven't seen you. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me." He took a sip of his scotch, letting the liquid burn down his throat, and then cocked his head to one side. "But of course, that wouldn't be true now would it?"

Mick sat up again, slowly this time, turning sideways to swing his legs down and put his feet on the floor. He fixed Josef with an almost guilty look. "It's been a crazy two days Josef. I was going to tell you tomorrow." He sounded apologetic as he watched Josef for his reaction. "I just needed some sleep first."

"I'm sure you do," Josef was trying to control his tone and keep his demeanor nonchalant, not wanting Mick to see how much his friend's condition bothered him, but he knew he was having trouble pulling it off. "Being human is such taxing work. Or did you forget?"

Mick laughed shortly. "Yes, I guess I did forget."

_Great, only now does he begin to realize it's not all it's cracked up to be. _

Josef nodded and paused for a moment before continuing. He decided it was time to get down to brass tacks. He needed to know how this happened. "You found Coraline I take it?" he asked.

Mick shook his head. "Didn't have to. She found me. She wanted to thank me for saving her from Lance in her lab."

"Ha!" Without meaning to, Josef exhaled an incredulous huff that bore more emotion than he'd intended to express. Mick met his gaze again and raised an eyebrow. Josef could feel his own face drawing into a scowl. "Some thanks, she makes you weak and vulnerable." Josef gestured at Mick futilely with one hand. "What a nice present. Maybe I was wrong. I thought Coraline was trying to manipulate you into getting back together with her. But maybe this was all an elaborate plan to get revenge for your killing her."

"No, that's not it." Mick disagreed strongly, his eyes darting away to the windows on his right side. "I thought that too at one point, but she had the chance and she didn't take it." He stopped speaking for short while, until a sad smile crossed his face. "Actually she protected me."

"Protected you from…" Josef paused before continuing. Mick didn't say anything. "Lance?"

Mick looked back at Josef and nodded.

"What did I tell you?" Josef leaned forward slamming his drink down on the coffee table and angrily stabbing the air in Mick's direction with his forefinger. "Did I not say to be careful and stay out of that guy's way?"

"Yes, you did Josef," Mick conceded.

_So why didn't you listen to me? _"Your face, the bruises? Lance did that?"

"Not just Lance." Mick's voice rose and he made a face as if offended. "He had some help."

"Either way, I bet they barely broke a sweat and you're a mess," Josef pointed out.

It took a while but Mick finally met Josef's glare. He exhaled a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"So the thing Coraline stole from Lance," Josef continued, "It was the cure?"

"Yeah." There was another nod from Mick.

"Any idea why he's so wound up about it?"

"Sounds like they can't make any more of the compound," Mick answered him. "Between what I overheard in Coraline's lab and what she told me in person, the cure is made from some plant that doesn't exist anymore. They're upset because they're running out of it."

At first Josef had difficulty reconciling what he thought he could assume about Lance's family's beliefs with the reality of a cure. _If I'm right, they are the last sort to harbor poetic ideas about going back to join the sweating throng of humanity._

Seeing Josef's confusion Mick elaborated. "Lance and his family use the cure to evade detection from humans trying to kill vampires."

"They masquerade as humans?" Josef's heart twisted as the memory of countless persecutions sprang into his head, humans hunting first witches and later vampires. Vampires and humans alike burned on enormous pyres, beheaded, or worse yet, staked through the heart and left frozen to wither of dehydration. For the vampires, that could mean an eternity of excruciating torture, neither allowed to live or to die. He'd thought becoming a vampire would have enabled him to escape the abomination of the witch trials for good, but he'd been wrong. There had been plenty of other close scrapes throughout the years involving torch bearing mobs.

"Well that's clever I guess. It explains why Lance was so uptight about getting the cure back from Coraline. If he and his family use it to survive persecution they'd be anxious to protect their supply. It also explains why they don't want to share with other vampires. Vampire genocide probably wouldn't bother Lance as long as his family gets to choose who survives and who doesn't."

Mick narrowed his eyes a bit with unspoken questions as he watched Josef silently, but he didn't say anything.

"So with it running out and if they can't make any more of it, Lance must have been pretty angry with Coraline for wasting the compound on you."

Josef could see as Mick's face morphed from interest to irritation.

Josef held up both his hands, palms facing Mick, in a 'don't blame me' gesture. "Hey, I'm talking from Lance's perspective of course. Unless you think your existential crisis really matters to him?"

Mick stood up from the couch, walking to empty space nearby, and started to pace. He raised one hand to his face and rubbed his eyes again. "Yeah, it did sound to me like he was extremely upset with her. Lance staked her and took her away."

"Away? To where Europe?"

"I guess." Mick dropped his hand and shrugged his shoulders. "Lance said something about 'he will not be happy,' with her actions. Do you have any idea who the 'he' might be?"

Josef stomach squeezed and he couldn't meet Mick's gaze. "I've got an idea. Lance most certainly isn't the head of his family. I've heard his elders make him look sweet and cuddly."

Mick stopped pacing, closer to where Josef was sitting now. "You know more about them than you told me," he accused him.

"Yeah I do," Josef fired back defensively, standing up to face Mick. "I've been around for a while Mick in case you hadn't noticed. Just take my word for it, if this is the last you hear from them, then be grateful. Just because they don't get involved in most of the politics and social affairs of vampires anymore, it doesn't mean they're safe. These guys are not going to cut off your head and throw you in a fire if they're angry with you. They've got way more creative methods to torture both humans and vampires, and trust me when I say they enjoy watching it."

The blood drained from Mick's face and Josef could smell Mick's fear level spike. "It's a little late to be scared now isn't it?" Josef asked quietly.

"I'm not worried about me. I can handle myself."

Josef snorted. "I'll just ignore the evidence to the contrary based on your appearance."

"If they wanted to deal with me now, they'd have taken me with them Josef. I think it was Coraline they really wanted." Mick turned away from Josef, walking around the back of the fireplace into the kitchen. When he got there, he opened a cabinet and took out a glass, filling it with water from the sink. "You don't think they'd really hurt her do you?" He drank some of his water. Josef could see the muscles in his throat working. Mick was trying hard to make it look like he didn't care, but Josef could see otherwise. "I mean not if she's…?" Mick's voice trailed off.

"She's what?" Josef asked.

No answer from Mick.

Josef grabbed his glass off of the coffee table and walked toward the kitchen and stopping on the other side of the island facing Mick. "What is she? Tell me."

Mick met Josef's eyes. "She's Lance's sister."

Josef's eyes widened. He recovered himself after a minute and let out a low whistle. "Well that explains a lot." If Coraline came from Lance's family, then she was a member of a truly powerful and not to mention scary vampire heritage. He'd always thought she'd come by her devious streak as a courtesan among the French nobility, but if she'd actually been taken into Lance's noble blood line as a vampire, that was an order of magnitude far greater on the scale of destructive behavior. He paused to try and remember what exactly Coraline had told him about her history.

"I knew she was turned while she was in the French court," he told Mick, "but I don't think she ever told me the details of how that happened or who her sire was." With difficulty, Josef pulled his attention away from Coraline and put it back on Mick who was watching him with a curious expression. "Look, I don't know what the hell they'll do to her, but does it matter? You're not planning on chasing after her are you?"

"She asked me to run away with her, before Lance caught up to us."

_Of course she did. _"That's not exactly a surprise," Josef commented dryly.

"I told her no." Mick explained in a firm voice. "And I'm not chasing after her now to bail her out. You're right, let her deal with the consequences of her actions."

"You refused her and she still gave you the cure?" Josef was quite surprised by this revelation. Charitable acts were not in her nature. "Maybe she's not entirely a heartless witch after all," he mused.

Mick laughed under his breath and shook his head a little. After a moment his gaze was drawn to the glass of scotch Josef had almost emptied. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a half smile as he evidently decided to abandon his water for something a little stronger, finding the liquor cabinet and pouring himself a drink.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Your tolerance won't be what you're used to." Josef smirked at Mick, pleased to be given the opportunity to highlight a disadvantage to his human state. The mild stare that Mick threw back at him made it clear he knew what Josef was doing and that it didn't concern him in the least.

_Fine, take your chances, but don't blame me if you get drunk. _

There was a brief silence in the kitchen as both men sipped their drinks but it didn't last long as a new and intriguing idea struck Josef. "Wait a minute, if Lance and Coraline were turned by the same sire, then that means you're related to Lance too."

"Yeah, he welcomed me to the family right after beating the crap out of me."

"Hmm, interesting…"

"What's interesting?" Mick shot back at him.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Josef replied with a breezy tone. "Besides you're human now aren't you? What do you care about all this vampire stuff?" He gave Mick another smile.

"Josef, I still care alright." Mick's voice rose with frustration. He took a deep breath and a swig of the scotch. "Besides, this is only temporary," he continued quietly. Josef couldn't help but note the disappointment evident in these last words.

"Temporary?" Josef asked confused. "How?"

"I mean Coraline says it doesn't last. Eventually I'll turn back."

_Really? That makes me feel a little better. _"You'll revert back on your own, without help? When? How long will it last?"

Mick didn't answer, only gave Josef a hard look.

Alright, maybe that had sounded a touch too eager. He hurried to clarify what he'd meant. "Not that I'm in a hurry for you to change back and all, but… well, did she say?"

"No, she didn't say anything. I don't even know how long she was Morgan Vincent. It could have been months or it could have been years. I don't think it would have ended when it did if Beth hadn't put her in the hospital though."

"Oh… well that does change things then doesn't it?"

"Change things how?" Mick asked. It was clear from his expression that he still didn't understand where Josef was coming from with this.

"I just…" Josef's voice trailed off. Mick was staring at him intently and Josef suddenly couldn't meet his eyes, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Instead he let his gaze wander around the room, anywhere other than at Mick. "I wasn't sure how permanent this condition would be," he managed to say. "For all I knew you were going to get old and die. But if you're saying it isn't going to last forever, I can live with that I guess."

Mick let out a laugh and Josef risked a glance in his direction. "Don't tell me you're worried about me now?" Mick sounded amused. "Josef Kostan worried about someone other than himself?"

"I've been worried about you for over fifty years now," Josef snapped at him lightly. "Ever since Coraline turned you and you know it. Just don't make me admit it okay?"

Mick smiled at him.

"Besides, as you so rightly pointed out, you _are_ my only friend who doesn't like me just for my money. I'd kind of like you to stick around for a while longer."

Mick chuckled again. "Yeah, okay. Don't worry so much. I don't this is going to last long enough for me to die of natural causes."

"Just don't get yourself killed of unnatural causes in the meantime okay? I'm serious about you not being used to how limited your strengths are right now."

"Because you have so much experience with vampires who've taken this cure." Mick's voice rang with sarcasm.

"No, but I do know humans alright?" He paused. "How's that drink by the way?"

"Huh?" Mick lifted his head. He'd dropped it and had been perusing his empty glass.

"Your scotch. You finished it awfully fast. Still feeling okay?"

"Yes." Mick's retort was indignant, but the word that had come out of his mouth was distinctly blurry and his face was just slightly flushed.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Josef nodded grinning.

"It was just one drink Josef." Mick sounded annoyed now.

"That, my friend, was not one drink. That was a double. And you drank it awfully quickly."

"Fine, whatever Josef," Mick tried to brush him off. "Look, it is late. I am going to go back to sleep now," he pointed to the couch in the living room, "because tomorrow I am getting up, and going for a run somewhere outside in the sunshine before eating a really massive breakfast… real, actual food. So if you don't mind, can we continue this discussion another time?"

"Sure, no problem," Josef nodded at him calmly.

Mick walked past the kitchen island, attempting to place his glass on the countertop next to the sink. At least that's what Josef assumed he intended. What actually happened was Mick placed the glass teetering with just enough of it over the edge of the sink, so that it began to tip over. Josef was standing close enough that his hand shot out and grabbed the glass before it fell into the sink and shattered. Mick stopped moving and looked at Josef, hand out stretched, as he held up the fragile container and lifted an eyebrow.

"Just do me a favor and take it easy on the booze okay buddy?"

Mick huffed audibly and shook his head. "Yes Josef." He resumed his walk toward the couch.

_Why do I feel like you're going to need a baby sitter until this human thing is over with?_ It occurred to him that maybe he should call Beth and get her to keep an eye on him. She was just another weak human, with a penchant for getting herself into trouble if Josef remembered correctly, but Mick might be more agreeable having her hanging around and keeping an eye on him.

Unfortunately it then hit him why Beth wasn't an option right now.

Mick had already reached the couch and had sat down on it. Josef paused on his journey toward the front door. "Hey I forgot to ask. How's Beth doing?"

"You heard?" Mick was looking at the floor. Mick slowly lifted his head and looked over at Josef. His features tightened and grew somber. "She's having a tough time right now."

"She know about all this?" Josef lifted his hand to gesture toward Mick.

"She knows, but she needs some space and some time. I don't… I don't know what's happening with us."

It struck Josef how sad Mick seemed. It wasn't fair, here he was finally given the opportunity to enjoy a gift he'd been wishing for, for half a century, and fate had complicated it once again.

"Hey Mick?"

Mick brought his gaze back to Josef's face.

"She'll come around."

Mick nodded and his face warmed slightly.

"Enjoy the sunshine for me okay."

Mick gave him a half smile. "Will do Josef."

Josef turned and walked back to the apartment entrance. "Night, night," he called over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>I was a human once, a long time ago. It wasn't an easy life and it wasn't fun. Yet still, I wanted to hold onto it, wanted to keep living as long as possible. I became a vampire and it's given me what I wanted, a very, very long life. I thought at the time the strength, the power, the healing, would make my days easier, more enjoyable. All that has been true in many ways and I have few regrets. That doesn't mean it's been perfect though. The same things that made my human life difficult, struggling for survival, grieving the loss of people I cared for, fighting against the stupidity and tyranny of those in power, those things have been constants regardless of my own personal state of existence.<p>

Maybe if Mick is ever going to see our lives as I do, as complex and difficult but also full of experiences worth enjoying, then he has to do this. He has to come to it on his own terms.

I can wait.

Hey, it's not like I'm getting any older right?


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of the TV show Moonlight. I do not own these characters or plot elements from the show.

Author's Note: Apologies for the long story hiatus. No time to write the last five months, but a new baby in the house will do that. :)

So here's the first half of episode 13. I'm already working on the second part so I promise the wait won't be as long. Much as I would have loved to include every single scene of this episode, for length reasons I had to leave out one particular story line. Again... sorry. But hopefully you'll like what I do have here.

Sorry for any typos. I do my best to catch them, but inevitably something gets missed.

Thanks to all who are reading this, and especially thanks when you leave a review. I appreciate the encouragement.

* * *

><p>On some level, Beth was aware that this was nervous energy. As she smoothed the blanket over the warm sand, and busied herself pulling food out of the picnic basket, the buzzing that filled her insides from her lungs to her chest to the depths of her stomach would not subside, regardless of how hard she tried to ignore them. They only grew worse as the appointed time approached. Not that it was an entirely unpleasant sensation. The excited anticipation was a welcome change from the ache that had lingered since Josh's death.<p>

The day after the funeral she'd gone back to work. Incapable of sitting around her apartment wallowing in grief for a moment longer. She had needed a distraction, busy work to keep her mind occupied. Throwing herself into motion had always been a good method for coping with crisis, and this time was no different.

At first she'd felt too numb to accomplish much. She had trouble concentrating. It felt like every time someone asked her a question she'd needed them to repeat it several times before she could process it and respond. As the week went on though, it got easier to focus and bury herself in her reporting. Maybe it helped that it had been a slow news week and nothing too taxing had crossed her desk.

Still, she couldn't entirely stop her mind from wandering to Josh from time to time. One random comment from a colleague about a place that had been familiar to them had sent her thoughts on a spiral back to the happy early days of their relationship. She'd excused herself quickly and gulped down a glass of water to recover her composure.

Overall though, what she kept coming back to wasn't just sorrow but anger at the gross injustice done to Josh by cutting his life so short. There was so much more he should have had the chance to experience, so many more years of life he should have been allowed to enjoy.

As she'd lain alone in her bed at night, her brain would not shut off, replaying an endless loop of the same questions. What were Josh's regrets? If his ghost could come back and speak to her, what would he tell her he was sad to have missed out on? She could think of a long list of things that she wished he could have experienced. She could also come up with a great deal that she was sorry she'd been unable to give him. It was torture.

In the end the questions kept serving to circle her back around to her own feelings and motivations. The examination of what she found hidden deep inside wasn't pleasant and didn't ease her mind. She couldn't ignore a nagging guilt at her own actions.

He had wanted to propose. That had been Josh's vision for his future, with her as his wife.

And she couldn't have said yes.

He'd asked her outright about her feelings for Mick, and she hadn't answered him. Instead she'd held on to Josh as a life raft of normality in a world that had dramatically turned upside down in the course of a few months. Maybe it would have been easier to let go if she'd come to the conclusion that she didn't love Josh at all. Unfortunately it had been all too easy to hang on because she did love him. She had just kept refusing to acknowledge the fact that she didn't love him enough, not the way he loved her.

About three or four days after she'd gone back to work it had started happening. She couldn't pin point the exact moment. She'd be doing research for a piece and an interesting detail or bit of information would catch her eye. Her first knee jerk impulse would be "Oh, I need to ask him about…" or "I wonder if he'd find this interesting?" Several times she'd caught herself reaching for her phone.

The "he" in question wasn't Josh. The person she wanted to talk to was Mick.

Grief over Josh's death had apparently not excised her need to have Mick in her life. What had the minister at Josh's funeral said? As mortals our time is limited. He'd also said that life's finite nature inspired people to make the most of the time they'd been given.

That did sound well and good in theory. But how to put it into practice? What were the right choices to make and the correct paths to follow? Knowing the answers to those questions wasn't quite so easy or clear cut. Just as it was hard for Beth to admit that a future as Josh wife would not have made her happy, she also hadn't reconciled what exactly Mick was to her and what the future could hold for them. And there were still no guarantees on how he felt about her. She already felt like she'd tried to put herself out there several times, only to have Mick act like nothing had happened.

Still, in the spirit of making the most of her life, she'd decided it was time to tell Mick what she was thinking and feeling, even if she didn't know how he'd react. She'd already spent months not being entirely honest with anyone, with Josh, with Mick, with herself. If she'd learned anything in the last week, it was that the people you took for granted could be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. She didn't want to have any more regrets due to her own inaction.

But she'd have been lying if she said she wasn't scared of getting hurt. After several failed attempts, she had succeeded in picking up the phone and calling Mick. He'd sounded surprised but pleased to hear from her, or at least she thought that's how he sounded. Thankfully he'd agreed to meet her without hesitation.

So now she found herself here, preparing a picnic on the beach and trying unsuccessfully to convince herself that today was no different from any other day they'd spent together.

The thing was, deep down, she knew this really wasn't the same. It was very different because Mick was human now. He couldn't use being a vampire as an excuse to keep her at arm's length, if that was actually his motivation for doing so. Similarly, she could no longer retreat behind Josh to protect herself. A small part of her wanted to believe that if she took the chance now to admit her own feelings to Mick, when being human gave at least a small chance of his reacting with something other than fear, he be more willing to respond to her.

Of course believing all this had sounded perfectly reasonable earlier, in her head. Now that Mick was set to arrive any minute on the other hand, she was having trouble sticking to her resolve. Josh had loved her with his whole heart, of that she was convinced. She hadn't been capable of reciprocating. What if she put everything out on the table and Mick didn't return her feelings? The doubts were almost enough to drive her crazy. She reminded herself again to ignore them.

_If you don't say something now, then when will you?_

Almost immediately the voice of doubt began to point out the flaws with her argument, trying to give her all sorts of excuses to stay silent, but mercifully any internal conflict was silenced as she heard Mick's voice call her name, approaching from behind her. An involuntary smile rose to her face and she turned her head over her shoulder. Pretty much any thought dissipated at first sight of him.

_Wow!_

He had on blue jeans and was buttoning up a light weight, white striped shirt, leaving the top few buttons undone. Not that she minded his normal appearance… dark jacket, glasses, she liked the way he usually dressed too. She had always assumed that he had taken care and covered up as much skin as possible when out in the sun. But his clothing today was so different, it had the effect of making him appear lighter somehow. She thought he even had a bit of a tan. She loved it. He smiled at her and her heart flipped over. He looked so happy and at ease, comfortable in his skin.

"Hi!" She smiled back automatically. It was amazing how much relief she felt just being near him. The tension in her body instantly lifted. _And_ s_uddenly I can't seem to remember what I was so worried about… or anything else for that matter._

"Quite a spread." He nodded appreciatively at the food on the blanket.

"Well, I realized I have no idea what you liked," she admitted looking up at him, "so I got a bit of everything."

"It looks great," he reassured her. He dropped down across from her on the blanket to half way lie on his left side. He stretched his legs out and propped himself up on one elbow. "You look great," he complimented her.

"So do you," she replied honestly. "Mortality suits you."

"Well, thank you." He lifted his hand to point to two open cuts on his cheek. She had noticed them last week at the funeral. "I forgot how long it takes to heal up, though."

"Wow." She leaned forward towards him for a closer look, concerned, and made a face. "Will they scar?"

Mick cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as if considering. "I hadn't actually thought of that. I might need to find myself a good plastic surgeon." He picked up a piece of fruit from a bowl in front of him and popped it in his mouth. "Lucky we live in L.A., right?" he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

She almost couldn't believe how different he seemed. He was so relaxed and cheerful. Not that he'd been in a bad mood before per se, but in the months she'd known him, there had been an aura of gravity that ran as an undercurrent through his personality. She wasn't even sure he'd been conscious of it. He was just so used to it that it was normal. Now though, as she watched him soaking in the sun, there was no trace of it.

"It's good to see you so happy," she told him honestly. "It's like a whole new you."

"No," he shook his head immediately, correcting her. "This is the old me," he emphasized, "From when I was still human."

"How long will it last until you turn back?" The question flew out of her mouth before she had time to think about it. Damn reporter instincts, always probing first and thinking about the consequences later. A shadow crossed his face and she instantly regretted reminding him of an obviously sensitive subject. He briefly broke her eye contact to look out at the ocean.

When he answered his voice became a bit softer, clearly not pleased with the thought of giving up his humanity a second time. "I don't know, six months, maybe, maybe less." His hesitation however was brief and when he looked back at her again he was calm and focused. His voice regained its determination. "But I'm making every day count. I don't want to have any regrets." He smiled at her. "I'm really glad you called."

Since she'd called him, she'd gone through what she wanted to say countless times. She'd tried to plan how she should begin, but every time she'd rehearsed it in her head, it had sounded wrong. Now as she sat here looking at him the words came naturally and without thought.

"I wanted you to know that I don't blame you for Josh's death," she began. "I should never have asked you to turn him into a vampire." Her own voice dropped down and she continued quietly. "He wouldn't have wanted that."

Mick was staring at her intently. "At the funeral, you were wearing his ring."

Her stomach twisted in a knot and she pulled her hands into her lap, self-consciously touching the now bare ring finger on her left hand. "Yes. Yes, I was." She stared at her hands for a moment before letting them fall. She met Mick's gaze. "But I realized that even if he had proposed to me, I wouldn't have been able to say yes."

"Why not?"

A jolt of energy, the same as earlier, zipped through her body silently, not nearly as subtle now and her heart beat sped up. _Moment of truth_. Part of her couldn't believe she was going to do this.

_You can't make the most of your life if you don't tell him. _

"There's someone else," she answered him cautiously, "has been for a while." She paused and took a deep breath. "I care about him a lot."

Mick was still watching her. His features hadn't changed and his eyes didn't leave her face. He was listening closely and at least he didn't appear disturbed by her revelation.

Gaining confidence she continued. "And I think it's time he figured out what he's going to do about it." The corner of her mouth curved up.

He didn't say anything, but after a moment, his features warmed and a slight pleased smile landed on his face. He looked away from her to stare out at the water before turning back again.

She didn't need or expect an answer right now. The look on his face was more than enough.

* * *

><p>You would think that after months of denying my feelings, even to myself, and after more than one romantic overture being shot down, you'd think that not having him answer me would be torture. After all, no one has ever pretended that patience is one of my strong suits. That hunger to keep pushing for answers is one of the reasons I've got a job.<p>

So yes, it would make sense for me to be freaking out and agitated after spending the entire day with Mick and still coming no closer to knowing how he feels about me.

That's not how it happened though. In actuality, the sense of freedom that came with taking a risk and honestly sharing what I was thinking, it was like floating on air. I swear I almost felt giddy all day. Maybe it was partly an extreme reaction to all the stress of the last few weeks, but I don't think that's all of it. Really I was happy to have come to a decision in my own mind, enjoying having something back in my control for a change. Not control of what he does about all this, this us, whatever we are, but the power to at least make it clear where I stand. And I did that, I didn't wimp out and keep my mouth shut yet again.

It was nice to enjoy the high of a small victory, at least for a little while. If only that upbeat sense of hope, that maybe life really is on the upswing and that the stress and pain of my past history somehow ensures me a smooth road ahead, despite the many obvious obstacles, if only things could continue that way.

If only I didn't have yet another lesson ahead on how brutal and short life can really be.

* * *

><p>Beth had barely walked in the door to her apartment and placed her cell phone in the charger when it rang. She answered it only to be rewarded with her boss Maureen demanding to know where she'd been today and why she hadn't been answering her phone.<p>

Actually, she hadn't been answering her phone because she'd turned the ringer off. That's not what she told Maureen though. Instead she'd made an excuse about the bad reception at the beach. On the whole she liked her demanding and a bit high-strung boss. She'd always been generous to give Beth leeway on her stories, letting her go out on a limb per-se, to find the angle she wanted. It helped that Maureen had never been shy in doling out her opinions, and quite often those had included a good amount of praise for Beth's work.

It was for all these reasons, and not her high regard for whatever news story Maureen had deemed important tonight, that she made her way to Buzzwire's offices at this late hour in the evening. Not that Beth was adverse to work exactly. She'd always been more than happy to cover a story that required late hours. She just saw it as part of her job as a reporter. But tonight, after she'd had such a nice afternoon with Mick, going into work was the last thing she wanted to do.

She and Mick hadn't left the beach until after sunset, and so by the time Beth had showered and changed, she made it to Buzzwire around eleven. The parking lot outside was empty save Maureen's car and Beth's own.

Beth came barreling around the corner into Buzzwire's main office area, swinging her bag and loudly declaring to Maureen her displeasure if said important story involved any sort of celebrity tabloid trash that more rightly belonged in the Weekly World News.

She was still in the hallway that led from the front door into the main work area when she came to a grinding halt.

_What the hell?_

An initial wave of confusion stopped her forward progress as she surveyed what was usually the controlled chaos of the newsroom in front of her. What she saw now was far from its normal state of messy order. Chairs upended, monitors tipped over and smashed, and papers everywhere, files pulled out of drawers and off of desks, the room was a messy sea of white. From her quick survey, she guessed that every computer in the place had been smashed to pieces.

Someone had trashed the office, really destroyed it. Her stomach crashed to her feet as a surge of nausea ran through her body. "Oh, my God," she murmured involuntarily.

_What happened?! _

Wait a minute, where was Maureen? Was she still here? "Maureen?" she called out her bosses' name. There was no answer, no sound at all.

_Maybe she left_, Beth tried to tell herself. Her chest began to constrict with panic, adding to the still present ill feeling. But why would she have left after calling Beth and demanding she come into the newsroom right away? _Oh God, maybe she's hurt? Or maybe someone kidnapped her? _Beth began to pick her way across the wide main room, making her way toward Maureen's office. She started going slowly, dodging mangled computer equipment and over turned furniture, but she gained speed as she went, not caring whether she slipped and fell, just wanting to get to her boss, her friend.

"Maureen!" She yelled her name loudly, but there was still no answer.

_Please God, let her be okay. Please! _

She almost tripped, sliding on some papers strewn across the floor and only caught herself by slamming her hand on to a desk. When she looked up she realized she could see into Maureen's office through her half open door.

_Is that her lying on the floor?_ Beth could see Maureen's shoes and feet but not the rest of her body. "No! Maureen!"

She ran the rest of the way into Maureen's office, flinging open the sliding door so that it rattled in the frame.

"No, no, no!" she screamed. _It can't be. This can't be real! _"Maureen!"

Laid out on her back across the destroyed wreck that had been her office, Maureen was staring up into space with wide, glassy eyes, dead eyes. In the center of her forehead there was one small, round, black bullet hole. Some blood had trickled out of the opening, staining her skin.

Beth fell to her knees by her bosses' side, shoulders shaking as she fought to pull in a breath. "Help," she gasped out. "Somebody help!"

She grabbed Maureen's hand. It wasn't even cold yet.

* * *

><p>Some time later, she had no idea how long, Beth was standing in the center of the newsroom, finishing up an interview with a female police detective. Beth remembered the woman from multiple cases over the past six months, running into her either with Josh or sometimes with Mick. She'd always seemed good at her job, determined. Her eyes reflected a kindness and sympathy that Beth had become all too familiar with in the weeks since Josh's death. Hell, the woman had probably been at Josh's funeral. Beth couldn't really remember.<p>

_Josh's funeral, Maureen's funeral… it's never ending around me. _

Her initial physical reaction, body tremors and hysterical gasping for air, had subsided. In its wake she was left with a hollow numbness that made it hard to think. Around her Buzzwire was reverberating with action, but not of the normal news kind. Instead of reporters, editors, designers, camera men, and the like, she was surrounded by hordes of police officers and crime scene investigators, taking pictures and carefully sorting through evidence.

"If you think of anything else Beth, don't hesitate to call me. Okay?" the detective told her.

Beth nodded her thanks and the woman departed squeezing Beth's arm with a sad smile.

"Ms. Turner?" A voice from behind her spoke and she turned around, finding herself face to face with a tall, rather attractive man about her age in an expensive suit and tie. Not a police detective based on the suit she guessed. "Ben Talbot from the District Attorney's office," he introduced himself.

_The D.A.'s office? Why don't I know you? _It struck her then that new people had been brought in since Josh's death.

Talbot extended his hand and she shook it. "Pleasure. You're a reporter here, right? Maureen Williams was your editor?"

"Yeah, she wanted to meet me here," Beth explained. "Said she had the lead on a story she was working on."

"Did she say what kind of story?"

"No," Beth shook her head. "But she wouldn't over the phone. She always liked to keep the really hot stories under wraps until she had enough to go online." Beth gave a quick glance over her shoulder at the crime scene investigators and then back to Talbot. "Has anyone found her computer?"

"No, not yet," Talbot answered.

"She never went anywhere without it. If it's not here, I think the killer took it," Beth told him.

Talbot's eyebrows drew together and his mouth turned up with a quizzical smirk. "You really think a picture of Britney without panties is worth murdering for?"

_Excuse me?! _A small flame of anger lit up Beth's brain.

"This isn't just a trashy tabloid," she shot back at Talbot defensively.

"No offense," Talbot shrugged and did not look in the least bit apologetic. "But it kind of is."

_What a jerk! _

"We cover serious news stories here, one of which just got Maureen killed." Beth could feel anger taking over as her voice grew louder. She was almost yelling at Talbot, but at the moment she couldn't care less about his opinion of her. Thankfully, before she got too carried away and gave Talbot her two cents on what exactly she thought of him and his behavior, Mick's voice interrupted her.

"Beth! I got your call." Mick rushed into the newsroom and stopped next to her. His face was pinched with concern as his eyes met hers. "What happened?"

"Maureen was…"

"She was murdered." Talbot cut Beth off abruptly turning his attention to Mick with a piercing stare. "And you are?"

Mick appeared surprised by Talbot and had difficulty shifting his gaze to answer him. "I'm Mick St. John. I'm a private investigator."

Talbot nodded. "Right, yeah, of course. I've heard a lot about you."

Mick paused for a second, looking uncertain as he met Talbot's cool gaze. "Good things?" He finally asked, his voice rising in question.

"No. Not really." Talbot gave Mick a condescending smile. "Excuse me."

Beth was more than happy to see Talbot leave. Mick only briefly watched him go before looking back at Beth.

"You alright?" he asked.

Beth bit the inside of her lip to stifle the wave of tears that threatened to escape. She met Mick's eyes and shook her head. "Not really," she answered him.

* * *

><p>After Mick met me at Buzzwire he offered to drive me home. As much as part of me did want to go back to my apartment and hide under the covers, try to pretend for a few more hours that Maureen wasn't really gone, it was more important to me to investigate who killed her. My encounter with Talbot left me with absolutely no confidence that the D.A.'s office and the police would do her justice. Not if Talbot was making snarky comments about Maureen's magazine mere hours after her death. In a strange way I guess Talbot did me a favor, pissing me off enough to get my blood boiling.<p>

I agreed with Mick that the best place to start investigating was with Maureen's body. She'd already been transferred to the morgue. Mick texted his friend Guillermo who confirmed he'd could get us in to see her.

Half an hour later, I was standing next to Mick in the freezer room of the morgue. Maureen's body was being kept in a locker until the coroner could examine it the next day.

"Okay. You ready?" Guillermo asked us.

I wanted to say no. I mean, I've seen lots of bodies in the morgue, but that's quite a bit different from examining my boss. Still, if we were going to get anywhere, this step couldn't be avoided.

I didn't say anything and Guillermo opened the metal locker door and slid out the tray. He folded back the material covering Maureen's body so we could get a better look at her.

"Single gunshot wound to the head, .38 caliber." He nodded at Maureen. "Powder burns around the entry wound."

The powder burns, Mick observed, indicated that she'd been shot at close range. Guillermo agreed.

"Maybe she knew her killer," I suggested. It would explain how the killer got so close to her before taking the shot. But Guillermo quickly disagreed.

"I doubt it." He shook his head and then looked over at Mick expectantly. "You really can't smell it?" he asked after a moment.

I inhaled a breath but couldn't smell anything. Mick must have had the same thought. "Give me a hint," he demanded.

Guillermo raised an eyebrow. "Starts with a 'v'. You used to be one?"

"Maureen was killed by a vampire?" Mick sounded as surprised as I felt.

"Well, I don't know about that," Guillermo cautioned, "but she was definitely around one."

It didn't look like any vampire killing I'd seen. I mean, there were no bite marks on Maureen. "Why would a vampire use a gun?" I asked.

"To make it look like a human crime," Mick answered me before looking back at Guillermo. "What?"

I glanced up and realized that Mick's friend was indeed no longer focusing his attention on the dead body in front of us, but was staring at Mick with an odd, uncomfortable expression.

"You're creeping me out, man!" Guillermo blurted. "You being human, it's unnatural."

I stifled a snort but just barely and my eyes flicked up to Mick's face. Sure, that's us, the ever disturbing and unnatural humans. I couldn't pick up on much that was obviously different about Mick, but Guillermo must have been sensing very subtle cues that I missed.

"Well, thanks," Mick responded to Guillermo, sounding annoyed. "That's… that's nice."

Guillermo shrugged and looked a little contrite. "Call 'em like I see 'em."

Mick and I turned and began walking to the door but Guillermo called after him.

"Hey, what about that gallon of A-Positive I got stocked up, man? You're the only one who drinks that stuff."

Mick gave Guillermo a shrug and a slight smile, and then we left.

* * *

><p>After we left the morgue, we went straight to Maureen's apartment. Talbot had indicated back at Buzzwire that Maureen's laptop was missing. Right now I'm assuming there's something on it that the killer doesn't want anyone to see. I'm just hoping the killer doesn't know Maureen like I do. She's obsessed with keeping a backup of her laptop. There's a good chance she has a USB drive hidden at her apartment that could help us figure out what she was working on.<p>

Getting into Maureen's place took a little more effort than usual now that we don't have Mick's nifty vampire skills to fall back on. Tricks like jumping from the ground floor to the balcony would have come in handy. I know he's used that one several times on our cases, and at least once to get into my apartment when I didn't want to see him. Mick on the other hand made it clear that he was happy to give up the jumping thing since it meant he was also giving up the whole drinking blood thing. Guess he does have a point there.

Of course since neither of us has any trouble picking locks, we still made it into Maureen's apartment without much difficulty. We set out right away to find the hidden USB drive that I hoped contained everything from her laptop. Time was of the essence since the apartment would be the police's inevitable next stop once they were finished processing Buzzwire. I didn't think it would go over so well if I explained to the investigators that I'd broken in and was attempting to locate evidence, so we needed to work fast.

I started by searching the kitchen but came up with nothing. The clock was ticking and there was still so much ground to cover. "We've got to narrow down the hiding places," I told Mick as he searched through Maureen's desk.

He gave me a quick glance but kept working. "It's all about psychology, alright? People hide things in the last place they think anyone else is going to look."

Well that does make sense. I guess I do that too. "Tampons!" Oh wait… did I just say that out loud? Whoops. That got Mick's attention. He stopped what he was doing to stare at me with an utterly bewildered expression.

"Excuse me?"

"I always hide my nice jewelry in a box of tampons," I explained quickly as I spun on my heel to find Maureen's bathroom.

"Yeah, okay. I'll admit that's the last place I would look."

A quick rummage under Maureen's bathroom vanity and I located the box I wanted. I grabbed it and tipped its contents out and low and behold, a small, red, plastic and metal USB drive lay in the palm of my hand. Jackpot! I hurried to put everything back the same as I'd found it and ran back to the living room to show Mick my discovery.

I stopped in the doorway and held up the drive, giving Mick a smirk. "Uh, if my jewelry goes missing, I'll know who took it."

Mick's eyes landed on the USB drive I was holding. His features transformed into a mask of disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

Not waiting for Mick, I ran to grab my shoulder bag from where I'd left it and pulled out my laptop, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. I opened the computer and slid in the drive but a sound pulled my attention away.

On the floor, not too far from me, Maureen's striped, gray cat Travis sat staring at me. He meowed again, loudly, evidently intent on making his presence known.

"Travis! Hi." I jumped up and went over to him. Oh God, I couldn't leave him here for the cops to find. He'd end up at animal control or something horrible like that. Poor guy, no idea that his whole world had changed and wasn't ever changing back.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll find someone to look after you," I gently said as I picked him up and stroked his soft fur. A lump formed in my throat as I stood there, in the middle of Maureen's apartment, holding her cat. Maureen whose lifeless body I'd just left at the morgue and who would never see her home or anything else she cared about again. I looked at Mick, who had sat down in a living room chair, to find him watching me, concerned. "First Josh and now Maureen…" my voice dropped off. "You once told me that everyone you love dies. I'm beginning to understand what that feels like."

But there wasn't time for this now. Not tonight. Right now we needed to check the drive and get out of here before the police arrived.

I took a few steps toward Mick to give him the cat. When he saw what I intended to do, he began to protest.

"Not a good idea." Mick's eyes fixed on Travis with alarm. "Animals are naturally afraid of…" I dropped Travis in Mick's lap anyway and the cat began to purr. "Of vampires," Mick finished. His face transformed into a small smile, I guess realizing that Travis wasn't afraid of him. He continued to stare at the cat in wonder and looked almost happy.

"I think he likes you," I teased him, holding back a smile myself.

I sat back down in front of my laptop and tried to open the USB drive. Unfortunately I didn't get very far. The computer refused to open the file without a password. I swore at the machine, but Mick told me not to worry, he knew someone who could open the file for us.

And so we packed up our things, Travis included, and left the apartment.

* * *

><p>Mick's source to open the files on the USB drive was a hacker friend named Logan. I was surprised to find that the basement apartment where Logan lives bore a striking resemblance to some of the dumps I remember from guy friends in college. It had a heavy emphasis on computer equipment and video games with a minimum of good hygiene. The only difference I'm guessing is that the fridge hidden off in a corner probably contained something other than beer.<p>

Actually, if Mick hadn't told me in advance that Logan was a vampire I never would have suspected it. I guess vampires really do come from all walks of life, computer nerds included. Then again, if I ever doubted that Logan was a vampire, his enthusiasm over potentially making a meal out of Maureen's cat Travis, whom we were still hauling around in his pet carrier, would have convinced me otherwise. Logan looked quite disappointed when I pulled Travis's container away and I'm sure the horror I felt at his suggestion was reflected on my face. Mick explained that we'd be paying cash for Logan's services instead. Thankfully Logan begrudgingly agreed.

Logan got to work on the USB drive right away, which he explained was not just password protected but encrypted and far trickier to crack. After some arguing over what Maureen would or would not use for her password, Logan unlocked the drive and we could see its contents.

Maureen had leads on two stories that she wanted investigated. Both stories sounded suspicious enough to me that it's possible someone killed her to end the inquiries.

The first lead was following the death of a model, Jill Button, a spokeswoman for something called the Donut Diet. Maureen believed that the diet itself could be responsible for Button's heart attack.

A diet product that kills people, one as popular as a donut no less, was definitely worth looking into. And maybe if there's some validity to Maureen's killer donut suspicions then someone would find covering it up important enough to kill her.

It was the second story though that really got my attention and my blood racing. In Maureen's notes she wanted a reporter to investigate a charity scam.

Ordinarily I wouldn't necessarily peg that as a high risk story that anyone would go to a length of trouble to cover up, and certainly not to kill for. That is, I would think that, if I knew a little less about the head of the aforementioned charity…

The charity was listed as being set up by one Josef Kostan.

* * *

><p>Beth and Mick had left Logan's apartment and were getting into Mick's car, parked outside on the street. Mick opened the passenger side door for Beth to get in.<p>

She stopped before sitting down in the seat. "Guillermo said he smelled vampire on Maureen. Maybe it _was_ Josef."

Mick met Beth's eyes and shook his head emphatically. "Josef didn't kill Maureen."

Beth arched an eyebrow. "Like Josef's not capable of murder?"

"Josef probably murders every day," Mick conceded, "but Maureen? It's not his style. Beth, someone else killed Maureen."

_I hope you're right Mick. _She didn't want to think about the alternative.

"I'm not going to let them get away with it," she told him.

Mick continued to stare back at her and eventually nodded that he understood. Seeing this Beth sat down in her seat and let him close the car door behind her. After a short drive they arrived at Josef's office building. It was almost two in the morning, but Mick assured her that Josef would be in.

They rode the elevator up to Josef's office in silence, each absorbed in their thoughts. She'd caught Mick giving her the occasional sideways glance. She tried to give him a half smile back, reassure him that she was okay. He looked like he was concerned about her. Really, she was preoccupied, vacillating between anger about Josef's possible involvement and worried about how to handle it if he was responsible. Finally they reached the correct floor and the elevator doors opened.

Beth stepped out into Josef's half-finished office space. She hadn't been here since right after it had been bombed, when both she and Mick had thought Josef dead. Evidence of ongoing construction surrounded her now. It was still clearly a work in progress though.

"Hey." Mick called out a greeting to Josef as they rounded the corner and caught sight of him.

"Oh, look." Josef flashed them a smile. "It's my two favorite humans."

But Beth was in no mood to beat around the bush or make pleasant conversation with Josef. She'd only just barely been able to keep a handle on her emotions on the car ride over here. She launched immediately into her first question. "Did you know that my editor was investigating your involvement in a bogus charity scam?"

Josef directed his gaze at her. "Nice to see you Beth," he pointedly ignored her question. "Me? I'm doing great. Thanks." He shot Mick a cool look before walking away from them to stand behind a large table consisting of a piece of plywood propped up on two saw horses. "Except for all the drywall dust," Josef continued, making an exaggerated sound of annoyance, "it gets everywhere."

Irritation flared up in Beth's chest at Josef's refusal to answer her question and she opened her mouth to say something ill advised. _If you did this Josef so help me God, you are not going to avoid answering me. _Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she should tread cautiously with Josef. While she'd never found him threatening thus far, she didn't actually know him very well. Unfortunately though, she was on the cusp of completely ignoring her own advice.

Thankfully Mick spoke before she could get a chance to say anything else. "Beth's editor, Maureen Williams, was killed a few hours ago." Mick cut off Josef's speech about the difficulties of renovations.

Hearing this, Josef's tone and body language instantly changed, no longer appearing cavalier and upbeat. He met Beth's stare. "I'm sorry," he told her, his expression sincere.

She nodded back at him, relieved momentarily by the shift in his demeanor.

Then again, he was a vampire and was used to protecting himself. Just because he appeared to feel badly that her friend had died, didn't necessarily mean he wasn't guilty. Did it?

Josef paused for a second before the reasoning behind Beth's question appeared to hit him. "Am I a suspect?" he raised his eyebrows, looking at Mick and then back at Beth again. She made a face of her own which Josef took as confirmation. "Cool!" he grinned. "It's like role playing without the leather."

"Your name came up in connection with a story that Maureen was working on," Mick explained.

"Well," Josef thought about this for a second, "was her body found at La Brea Tar Pits?"

"No," Beth shook her head.

"That was the only person I killed this week," he replied without flinching.

"Josef, this is serious." Mick sounded exasperated.

"No, this is stupid," Josef gave back calmly. "Yes, Maureen called me," he addressed Beth directly, "and I'll tell you what I told her. Look, I'm on the board of dozens of charities. I can't keep track, my PR-man sets it all up. I had no idea this charity was bogus until she told me."

"Okay," Mick reasoned, "We'll talk to your PR-man."

"Remember the Tar Pits?" Josef fixed Mick with a stare that was easy to translate. Mick sighed, shaking his head.

"Look, here's my schedule." Josef tapped his smartphone a few times and held it out. Mick took the device and examined the screen, while Josef continued speaking to Beth. "I was supposed to meet Maureen again this Tuesday and give her an exclusive on a new charity that Kostan Industries is setting up to help the victims of the scam. I even got Oprah as the honorary chairwoman. Now, why would I go through all that trouble if I could just kill her?"

Beth silently exhaled a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. She glanced down at Josef's phone, which did indeed have an appointment with Maureen saved to his calendar. Her gut instinct told her that Josef was telling them the truth. Everything about his behavior and his story made sense.

She knew she should be more relieved that Mick's friend wasn't involved, and she was, but she couldn't help feeling frustration over the dead end.

Mick handed the phone back to Josef.

"You know, it's tempting to always blame the vampire," Josef scolded them, only appearing mildly wounded, "but I think this time you guys are going to have to look for your killer someplace else."

* * *

><p>We had no choice after that but to call it a night. Mick walked me to my apartment door where we said goodnight. I crashed in bed but was up bright and early the next morning to interview Dee Dee, President of the Donut Diet.<p>

Dee Dee was a patronizing twiglike blond whose appearance was designed to make your average female feel inadequate, thus necessitating the urge to A) go on a diet and B) inhale a box of donuts. Or in other words, she had shrewdly chosen the perfect business model.

Unsurprisingly given the typical self-absorbed personality of her species of human, and I've had the unfortunate opportunity to meet many like her, once I made the purpose of my visit known, Dee Dee showed little to no grief over the untimely death of her spokes model. All Dee Dee cared about was calmly insisting that her product was in no way responsible for Jill Button's death.

I pointed out that since Dee Dee was in talks to sell her company to the tune of fifty million dollars, if her donuts did in fact turn out to be little heart attack missiles, she'd stand to lose a great deal of money. Maureen Williams investigating this possibility for Buzzwire could have been awfully inconvenient for her.

And thus ended the interview. Dee Dee gave me a placid smile, informing me that any further questions could go through her lawyer. She did however encourage me to take a box of donuts with me on my way out the door, evidently not concerned that my testing her product would produce any tangible safety violations.

I left Donut Diet's office with the solid belief that Dee Dee was heartless and shallow, her main priority protecting herself, but I also had the bad feeling that her confidence wasn't a good sign for my murder investigation. I may not have vampire senses, but even I could see no deception or discomfort in her behavior. She behaved as if I were an annoyance wasting her time. She wasn't afraid to have me test her donuts. It somehow made me doubt Maureen's sending me over to do a story for Buzzwire would have concerned Dee Dee much, certainly not enough to arrange for Maureen's murder.

Back at Logan's apartment, he was in the middle of explaining to me that he'd been unable to dig up anything negative on Dee Dee or Donut Diet when Mick walked in the door. When Mick called me a little while ago he was surprised, and a little annoyed I think, to hear that I'd gone to see Dee Dee without him. I guess with Maureen's death he'd prefer I not go off investigating alone, not until we catch her killer.

I do understand that he's only got my safety in mind. I get it. Honestly though, Mick may still think he's superhuman but I caught those few stifled yawns he was trying to hide from me in the wee hours of this morning. He's human and humans need sleep. I was just too preoccupied and impatient to get much myself. I thought it would be better if I let him rest.

Judging from the look Mick gave me as he came down the stairs into Logan's basement, I'm fairly certain he had more to say on the subject of my lacking patience, particularly when it comes to my own well-being. Fortunately for me, he was quickly distracted by something else. I saw his gaze move from me to fall on the pink box I'd taken with me from Donut Diet. I think I've seen little kids eyes on Christmas morning light up exactly the same way.

"Donuts!" Mick exclaimed loudly. He rushed down the last few stairs to quickly snatching a frosted circle out of the container in one deft motion and hurried to shove the donut into his mouth, taking a large bite. The corners of his mouth almost immediately curled up into a smile and he looked back at me happily.

"It's not bad," he mumbled with a mouth full of crumbs sounding pleased.

I could feel my eyes narrowing as I stared back at him. I've tasted these things, and let me tell you, they bear a strong resemblance to sugared sawdust rings.

"How long since you've had a donut?" I asked.

"1952," he replied calmly as if this detail had no impact on his judgment.

Well that explained a lot. I smiled back at him.

"Two words: Krispy Kreme." If he liked these disgusting creations, he'd be overjoyed with the real thing.

Unfortunately for him, Mick's introduction to the many improvements in deep fried breakfast foods would have to be put on hold for now. Mick had come looking for me because we had a second visit to the morgue on our agenda.

"I got Guillermo to pull Jill Button's body for us," Mick took another bite of his donut as he turned to head toward the apartment's exit.

"I thought he was mad at you," I called after Mick as I said goodbye to Logan and turned to grab my purse.

Mick paused, waiting for me to catch up. "I bought up all the A-Positive he couldn't unload."

I shook my head, staring at him, confused. "You can't drink blood anymore."

Mick shrugged and started up the basement stairs. "I sent it to Josef." He glanced back at me and smirked, still moving. "Kind of a, sorry-you-were-a-suspect present."

* * *

><p>Beth was standing, once again, next to Mick in the morgue's locker room. Guillermo had directed them to the appropriate locker and then proceeded to open it and slide out the metal tray. Mick folded back the cover from the person on the tray.<p>

The body of an attractive young brunette, her skin paled to an unnatural shade of gray, rested in front of them. Her chest and torso were marred by Y shaped gash crisscrossing from her shoulders down to her breasts and then proceeding in a long straight line down her abdomen to her pelvis. Though the incision had been sewn shut, it was still a disturbing dark red.

"Jill Button," Guillermo introduced the woman, "washed in autopsy. The coroner lists COD as a heart attack."

Mick's brows were contracted in thought as he ran his eyes over the dead woman. His attention eventually stopped to rest on several small round spots on her upper arm. Seeing where he directed his gaze, Beth squinted at the marks as well. They looked familiar but she couldn't quite place them.

"What are these?" Mick asked.

"Looks like surgical incisions," Guillermo observed.

Suddenly it came to Beth why she recognized these particular odd looking marks. "No, those are liposuction scars," she told them.

Mick's head pivoted sideways to look at her and he made a quizzical, half amused face. "Really?" he sounded surprised, and not, she was guessing, merely because she knew what they were.

Her face flushed red as she met his eyes. _I didn't mean me for crying out loud. _"What?" She defended herself. "I have friends!"

Mick laughed a little under his breath before looking away from Beth and focusing back on their task. "Could these have been a factor in her death?" He addressed his question to Guillermo.

"Well, the danger of liposuction is internal bleeding," Guillermo explained. "Blood usually pools in the back." Guillermo gently lifted Jill Button's body to expose her back.

"No lividity," Mick noted.

Beth could see right away that the body had no dark bruise coloring from the presence of pooled blood. "So, her liposuction didn't kill her."

Guillermo shook his head. "It's weird the coroner didn't mention the incisions in the autopsy report." He looked over at Mick. "Every scar, birthmark, even moles are usually noted."

Mick nodded in agreement. "We'll see what we can find out about this coroner's report," he directed at Beth. "Let's go."

"Thanks man," Mick told Guillermo who replied that they were welcome and they left the morgue for the second time in as many days.

* * *

><p>They'd only been back in the car a few minutes when Beth's cell phone rang. Mick had asked if Beth could use any of her contacts to get them a copy of the coroner's report. Barring that, he thought they should ask Logan to try and hack into the LA County coroner's system.<p>

Mick gave her a sideways look from the driver's seat as Beth lifted the phone to identify the caller. "Ben Talbot" she told Mick, surprised.

Mick made an annoyed face but eventually nodded at the phone, indicating she should answer it.

It turned out that the good D.A. Talbot had gotten what he deemed to be disturbing reports of a blond woman and a tall, dark haired man seen making several visits to the morgue. That in conjunction with a complaint from the owner of Donut Diet that she had already been harassed by a blond reporter led Talbot to believe that Beth and Mick were conducting their own investigation into Maureen's murder. Talbot was clearly not happy with this particular development.

Talbot proceeded to lecture Beth on the danger of getting involved in finding Maureen's killer. He reminded her that even if she found any evidence of guilt on the part of one party or another, she risked contaminating that evidence making it inadmissible in court.

Beth assured Talbot as best she could that of course she wouldn't let that happen. She only wanted to help catch Maureen's killer being that she was well aware of how over stretched resources in the D.A.'s office always were.

That being said, she asked Talbot what he thought of the Liposuction scars on Jill Button's body and why they were left off of the coroner's report.

Mick, who had been watching her intently through her phone conversation, narrowed his eyes and shook his head as if warning Beth to be cautious sharing information with Talbot. Mick didn't trust the new D.A., and given Talbot's chilly demeanor in their earlier meeting she didn't blame him. She held Mick's eye contact and waved her hand to indicate it was okay, she knew what she was doing.

Beth was met with a long silence on the line from Talbot. "What scars?" he asked when he spoke again. He sounded perplexed and irritated when he told her that the coroner's report held no mention of scars of any kind. She gave Mick a small, satisfied smile.

With a brisk few words that he would have to call her back, Talbot hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>An hour later found Beth and Mick sitting at a wooden picnic table in front of one of L.A.'s finest taco trucks eating lunch. Beth was staring off into the distance, her gaze not really processing any one thing. She felt like she'd been constantly on the move since getting called by Maureen last night. Now sitting here, waiting for Talbot to call back, she felt her mood slipping down, bordering on melancholy, a place part of her really did not want to go. She was on the verge of telling Mick she couldn't wait for Talbot any longer. They'd need to go interview the coroner themselves, just so she could get up and get moving again, give herself something else to think about. However, as Mick was happily tearing into his fourth taco, she knew she'd have to wait a few minutes longer. She laughed a little despite herself. His enthusiasm was amusing.<p>

Unnoticed by Mick she raised an eyebrow. _I'm glad he's happy, but I wonder if he knows enough to not make himself sick? _

After all, for over fifty years he'd been on an entirely liquid diet. Was the cure really that complete? Didn't he have any side effects from his years as a vampire? She didn't want to say anything to make him uncomfortable, but hell, the amount he was eating would fell even the hardiest person.

He must have realized she was watching him and took his eyes off his food to glance up at her.

"What?" He looked at her only slightly self-conscious.

Her smile widened. "You do remember what heartburn feels like don't you?"

His eyes narrowed. "I thought you liked this place. You picked it."

"Uh, yeah I did and I do," she nodded.

"So what's wrong?" he asked.

"Just hoping that cure you took gave you a cast iron stomach too."

He just smiled back at her and tore off another bite.

Her attention was drawn away as her phone finally rang and she hurried to check the caller ID. Mick put down his food and watched her with interest.

"Hello Ben," she said after answering the phone and putting it on speaker. "What did the coroner say?"

Beth could hear Talbot let out a short huff. He didn't respond immediately.

"It took some doing," Talbot told her sounding reluctant, "but I finally got him to admit he was paid off by Jill Button's plastic surgeon."

"What's the surgeon's name?"

Talbot made a noise of hesitation. Beth could almost feel him vacillating over the phone. She knew strictly speaking he wasn't supposed to tell her anything about an ongoing investigation. On the other hand, he must know that she and Mick would just find out the name another way.

"Come on, Talbot!" she chided him. "You knew those scars were missing from the report because of us." She tried to keep her voice persuasive but she could hear a hint of indignation creeping in.

"Doctor Pierce Anders." Talbot gave in and answered her. "Already has two complaints filed against him. Patients were hospitalized after the procedures for unexpected blood loss."

"Maybe he figured three strikes and he's out." Mick broke in to the conversation. "What's the address?

"No, no!" Talbot responded sharply. "You're not talking to him without me, alright? I'll text you his address and meet you there." The phone went quiet as he hung up.

They both got up from the table and started walking in the direction of Mick's car. "He's starting to grow on me," Beth said as she put her phone away. She was a few paces ahead of Mick and couldn't see him when he stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey," Mick called out from behind her. She turned around, looking at back him expectantly.

"You want to come over to my place for dinner tonight?"

Her eyes widened just slightly in astonishment. Mick gave her a lopsided smile.

"I've figured out how to work the oven," he continued.

She'd been so focused on catching Maureen's killer and Talbot's information that her brain was having trouble switching gears. "You're going to cook me dinner?" She asked slowly, hearing the tone of her voice raise up a few notches.

"Yeah, I'm going to try."

_Maybe I'm reading too much into this? _But judging by the twinkle in his eyes and the hopeful expression on his face she didn't think this was only her wishful imagination.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" The question escaped her mouth before she had time to second guess it.

"Why?" his smile broadened and he shrugged. "Isn't that what humans do?"

* * *

><p>The office of Doctor Pierce Anders was a large, immaculate, white landscape of tile and glass. Beth was seated in a chair in front of Anders desk. Mick was positioned in a similar chair on her right and D.A. Benjamin Talbot was on her left.<p>

Doctor Anders, a condescending egoist from Beth's observations so far with squinty eyes and a pinched nose, was elaborating from behind his desk on his philosophies as a plastic surgeon.

"I consider myself an artist. My clients are my canvas," Anders explained in a haughty voice. "The fantasy is my inspiration."

Beth resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. But after all, this was L.A. Beth had no doubt that Anders' business thrived off of a ready supply of patients who were more than willing to fork over loads of cash on the promise that they'd be turned into a work of art.

"What was Jill Button's fantasy?" she asked.

"Ms. Button had very realistic expectations," Anders told them. "She was having difficulty maintaining her weight, so she came to me for some strategic reshaping."

"Liposuction," Talbot translated.

Anders nodded. "I removed 500 cc's of fat from her target areas."

"No post-op complications?" Mick chimed in.

Anders head swiveled from Talbot over to Mick fixing him with a cool stare. "None," Anders responded calmly. "Ms. Button was happy and very much alive when she left."

Talbot's face was a placid mask as he proceeded to ask Anders if he could provide witnesses to verify his statement regarding Button's health when she had left their offices. Beth had to hand it to Talbot, as flip as he'd been discussing Maureen's murder back at Buzzwire since they'd gotten to Anders' office he appeared to be taking matters extremely seriously. She was grateful that he wasn't quick to accept Anders word.

"My nurses and office staff will be happy to provide you with statements," Anders responded in the same flat, distant tone.

"We'd like to see your charts," Mick said.

A ripple ran across Anders' facade and Beth saw his eyes flash briefly with what she was sure was anger before he gave a short laugh. "I'm sure you'll understand that's an impossibility." He gave Mick an imperious smile standing up from his chair and backing away from his desk. "Doctor-patient confidentiality," he added.

Not one to be so easily dismissed, Talbot also rose from his seated position and took a few steps toward Anders. "Look, I can get a warrant."

"You have no grounds for a warrant." Anders calm control dissipated further as he now openly glared at Talbot.

The corner of Talbot's mouth curled up in a sarcastic smile. "I know a judge who got a bad nose job," he shrugged. "She's bitter."

The next thing Beth that became aware of, before anything else, was the unusual, inhuman sound that erupted from Anders' throat. It started as a low animal growl before exploding in a loud roar. Anders' hands lashed out to strike Talbot in the chest, sending Talbot hurling backward across the room with a crash.

A jolt of adrenaline and fear coursed through her body but before she could stand up and back away, Anders spun toward Beth and Mick. She had only an instant to register that Anders eyes had shifted to the ice blue of a murderous vampire and his eye teeth had lengthened to form two sharp fangs. In a flash he was beside her. Too late she heard Mick shout a panicked command to get out, just as Anders grabbed her by her shoulders and threw her against the far wall. Pain exploded through her back, shoulders and head as she hit the floor.

With a groan she lifted her head, anxious to find Mick. She watched as he pulled his gun out and aimed it at Anders, but the Doctor rushed at him. He knocked the gun from Mick's hand and sent it skittering across the floor. Anders then seized Mick by the shoulders and flung him into the glass desk which exploded in a rain of shards.

_Mick! _

Panic was making it hard for Beth to breath. Anders stared at Mick, lying on the floor, for a moment. From what Beth could see Mick appeared to have been knocked unconscious. Talbot as well was out cold.

_The gun! Get the gun. _Beth's eyes quickly searched out the weapon. As luck would have it, it had come to a stop near her foot. She rolled to sitting and seized the gun, raising it and hurrying to aim it at Anders. At precisely that instant, Anders turned to face her, his creepy stare immediately finding her. He began to move in her direction.

She pulled the trigger. Pop! Pop! Pop! Three shots hit Anders in the chest.

He stopped his forward motion, watching her with a look of surprise. A dribble of bright red blood ran out of the three holes in his body. To her dismay his mouth lifted in a slow smile.

He advanced on her again, dropping to a crouch in front of her. He reached his arm out and seized her, wrapping one hand firmly around her neck. She could feel his cold fingers as they dug into her skin. Her heart hammered rapidly in her chest and she darted a glance toward Mick. She could just see him where he lay on the floor behind Anders.

_Oh God! Mick, wake up. Wake UP!_

Anders face was a mere six inches from hers now. He leaned toward her, closing the gap between them. Beth braced herself to feel his fangs rip into her neck.

She tensed as he leaned in with a jerk, but instead of the sharp pain of his bite, she was startled by his cold, wet tongue, as it ran over her cheek to lick a drop of blood. Her whole body froze in terror.

Anders sat back a bit and she could see his face again. Her stomach did an unpleasant, nauseated twirl as a strange, pleased expression lit up his icy eyes.

"Type A-O Negative, unusual. Tasty."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of the TV show Moonlight. I do not own these characters or plot elements from the show.

Author's Note: Second half of Fated to Pretend. Please, please leave a review. :)

I am working on the next episode and promise that I will post adaptations of the three remaining episodes.

As always, done my best to catch the typos. Figured it was time to stop hunting for them and post this.

* * *

><p>Pain. Before anything else, he became aware of a hazy fog of pain, everywhere throughout his whole body. No diffuse dull ache, this was sharp and breathtaking. His first rational thought, once he could form one, was not "where am I?" or "what happened?" but rather to take a deep breath, hold very still and wait for the pain to pass. Because it would pass, wouldn't it? It always had before. Unless it was a stake to the heart, and he knew that wasn't his current problem. It felt different.<p>

Only as time began to pass Mick realized that the pain wasn't going away, it continued. As his mind struggled to focus and become fully awake, he finally realized why.

_Anders! Vampire!_

One minute Talbot had been questioning Dr. Pierce Anders, and the next he was flying across the room as Anders transformed into a vampire.

_How did I not know?!_ It felt unreal, impossible. He was so accustomed to relying on his senses. Nothing about Anders had a raised a red flag. Mick had felt so confident that he could spot danger coming, even as a human. But he'd been wrong, and now he was paying the price.

But not only him…

_Beth!_ Where was Beth? Was she still here? Was she hurt too? His heart started racing in a panic and he struggled to his feet.

As he put weight on his left leg an excruciating stab ripped through his thigh and he stumbled, the leg almost giving out on him. The muscle felt like it was being shredded. He half expected to be greeted with such a sight as he chanced a look down. Instead he quickly identified the problem. A large shard of broken glass, a remnant of Ander's shattered desk, was imbedded in his upper leg.

Mick gritted his teeth together and inhaled a breath through his nose, not moving till it felt like he regained his balance. For a brief second he debated removing the piece of glass from his leg, but ultimately decided against it. As a human he wouldn't heal. He couldn't risk bleeding out on the floor of this damn office.

Ignoring his discomfort, he ran his eyes around the room searching for any sign of Beth. He sucked in air through his nose and strained his ears to hear, but on both counts he was greeted with emptiness. It was no good. His human senses couldn't give him the information he needed.

He tried to tell himself to stay calm as he maneuvered his way around the room to conduct a visual search. He prayed that if Ander's had left Mick behind, he would have left Beth as well. Unfortunately that didn't appear to be the case. There was no sign of Beth or of Talbot for that matter.

The sour tang of bile rose in his throat. Beth was in danger, threatened yet again, and he was in no condition to help her. He didn't even know where she'd been taken.

Mick limped out of the building as quickly as he could manage and got in his car, still parked nearby thank God, and raced away.

* * *

><p>Mick had made it to the Los Angeles County morgue in record time, and was now sitting on an examination table in front of Guillermo. He wasn't looking at his friend but was staring at an indistinct spot on the wall, fuming about his circumstances. It was perhaps this level of distracted anger that allowed him to momentarily lose sight of Guillermo's current task.<p>

"ARRGGG!" Mick growled as a fresh wave of pain exploded through his leg, and he threw a glare at the morgue technician.

Guillermo was holding up the large piece of bloody glass that he'd just removed from Mick's leg. His eyebrows narrowed in irritation.

"Sorry," Guillermo shot back at Mick, sounding anything but. "Most of my customers don't complain."

"Just hurry up," Mick ordered him brusquely. "I've got to get out of here."

Guillermo dropped the glass into a metal tray and grabbed a suturing kit. "I'm doing the best I can here." He gave Mick a look. "You should be in the hospital."

That was out of the question. As it was he'd debated taking care of his leg himself in an effort to find Ander's faster. It was only the fear of passing out again that had stopped him. Mick shook his head. "I already lost two hours when I was unconscious."

"Look, seriously, man," Guillermo made a noise that made it clear he thought Mick was being unreasonable, "You're a mess. No wonder Anders thought you were dead." As if to emphasize his point he jabbed the suturing needle into Mick's leg.

Mick let out a short curse, scowling at Guillermo. His friend, however, was already engrossed in closing the wound and didn't look up.

"I can't believe I didn't know that guy was a vampire," Mick growled, more to himself than anything else. "I should have sensed it the minute he walked in the room."

"The disadvantage of being a human." Guillermo met Mick's eyes briefly, and Mick tried to ignore the recrimination of I told you so that he saw there.

"Yeah, that and getting my ass kicked," Mick snarled and shook his head. "When I was a vampire, I would have wiped the floor with this guy." Mick winced again as Guillermo continued to sew him up. "You know, I never thought I'd say this man, but right now being human sucks."

"Look," Guillermo said as he continued to work. "I made some phone calls. Anders' plastic surgery practice is just a front for his real business." He paused, hesitating and watching Mick before finishing, "selling blood to vamps looking for rare blood types."

Mick's body tensed painfully and his face froze in shock. That's what had really been going on? How in the hell could he have walked blindly into this guy's office?

"So, he siphons a few pints of blood from each of his human patients and most of them never know?"

Guillermo shrugged then nodded.

A sick feeling overtook the physical pain in Mick's body as the reality of the situation hit him. "Oh man," he blurted weakly, thinking out loud, "that's why he took Beth. She's a rare blood type." His heart started hammering in his chest. "I don't know why he took Talbot, maybe to find out what he knows."

The specter of Beth strapped down to a metal table swam into his head, a needle stuck in her arm with a length of dark red tubing leading to a blood bag. Her face growing pale and her breathing shallow, as a cold and dispassionate Dr. Anders looked on.

_NO! _He couldn't panic. He had to focus. He had to analyze the situation. It was the only hope he had. "Where can I find Anders now?" he directed to Guillermo.

"No way man," Guillermo's response was emphatic and his face tightened with concern. "This vamp is seriously bad ass. And he won't be alone."

"Hey!" Mick cut Guillermo off with enough force to get his point across. "The address."

* * *

><p>I've been playing the "what if?" game for so long that I can't remember when it started.<p>

What if I'd never met Coraline? What if I had done the smart thing and walked away when she asked me to unzip her dress after that party? What if I'd fought back and stopped her from turning me into a vampire? What if I'd somehow kept her from taking Beth as a child? What if there was a cure and I was human again?

What if I'd given in and kissed Beth back when she kissed me?

So many things I could have done differently. Which of those choices would have kept Beth safe? Kept her out of Ander's hands?

How did I get here, beside myself with overwhelming fear because she's in danger? After my marriage to Coraline ended I swore I'd never care that much about anyone ever again. Now all I can think of is… what if I lose Beth?

Throughout my life I can remember with crystal clarity all the times my circumstances, my fortunes, turned on a dime. I've never seen those changes coming. One minute you're secure, confident, happy even, and you're wrapped up in minor issues that in hindsight seem trivial. A heart beat later you're reeling and quaking and trying to figure out how to salvage what you can and get back to what matters.

As I was racing back to my apartment, I wasn't able to concentrate on much beyond the need to get to Beth, but still, I couldn't stop replaying a conversation I had with Josef yesterday, before all this business with Maureen and Dr. Anders began.

What if I'd taken Josef's advice about Beth? What if I don't get the chance to take his advice?

I swear I'm not going to let that happen.

* * *

><p>(24 hours earlier)<p>

As Mick walked out the elevator and into the tattered remains of Josef's office, or what had been his office before an assassination attempt had blown most of the floor sky high, Mick could hear Josef in full dictatorial mode, barking commands.

"No! Think Kostan."

Mick entered Josef's main office space to find his friend standing in front of two women, just ordinary human women he guessed and not freshies based on their business professional attire. Josef caught Mick's eye over his companions' shoulders and called out Mick's name in greeting.

"Just leave the plans, okay. I'll get back to you," Josef told them. They appeared to give a nod and hurried away leaving Mick and Josef alone.

"Boy, no matter how much money you throw at this, remodeling is a bitch." Josef gave Mick an irritated smile. "Are you…" Josef paused and his eyebrows contracted lightly, "are you tanned?"

"Am I?" Mick responded as if he didn't know what Josef meant, but had trouble concealing the pleasure from his voice.

"I don't know."

"I had lunch at the beach with Beth." Mick remarked airily. "Not something you will be doing any time soon."

"And how did that go? You sealed the deal yet?" Josef raised and lowered his eyebrows.

A quick glance at Josef's smirk and Mick realized his tactical error in mentioning Beth. Far from allowing Mick the simple pleasure of gloating over his picnic in the sun, Josef would instead move right to taking delight in teasing Mick about his relationship with Beth and forcing Mick to squirm.

"It's not that simple," Mick evaded the question, hoping Josef would drop it.

"Well, sure it is. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy. Didn't your dad explain all this?"

"Okay. And when I turn back?" Mick stated the obvious problem with Josef's scenario.

"Vampires and humans can have sex Mick." Josef sounded like he was patiently correcting a teenager. "This isn't about physiology."

"And it isn't about sex," Mick protested.

Or at least it wasn't just about sex. Mick almost wished it was as simple as just wanting a quick one night fling to get it out of his system. But as with everything else with Beth, he doubted giving in would mean he'd want less of her in his life. And there was far too much about his life that he knew wouldn't be good for her.

"Of course it's about sex," Josef responded evenly. "Everything is about sex."

Alright, fine, yes sex was one concern, high up on a list of many. Mick began to tick off for Josef some of his reasons for keeping his distance from Beth.

"I'm 58 years older than her. Okay?" He started with a minor point. "I sleep in a freezer. I drink blood I buy from the morgue and I have this tendency to bite down when I…"

"Some women like that." Josef cut him off, smirking again.

Josef took a few steps towards Mick, so that he was standing right in front of him. "You keep coming up with all these excuses. You're not afraid Beth is going to get hurt. You're afraid you're going to get hurt."

Mick let out a short scoffing sound and shook his head. _Oh come on, that's not what this is. That's ridiculous._ But he took a second and let Josef's words sink in. What was he was really afraid of?

He was afraid she couldn't handle it. She wouldn't want to put up with all the complications of his life. He was afraid of getting attached to her only to watch her walk away. He was afraid because he wanted so damn much to be with her, and he remembered all too well what it felt like to think one relationship was your whole world and how soul crushing it was to be wrong.

He knew all this because he'd been hurt by Coraline. Because of how he'd felt about Coraline.

He knew what this feeling was because he'd felt something similar before…

Mick turned his head to look back at Josef wide eyed as the realization hit him.

"I… am in love with her."

Once he said the words he knew they were true. The words had stuck in his throat, but admitting it, accepting it made something click into place inside him. A part that had been rattling around lost had found its home.

"Yeah, yeah, you are," Josef returned in a compassionate, satisfied voice. "Now go do something about it before it's too late."

* * *

><p>Only Mick had not gotten the chance to act on Josef's advice. He'd left Josef's office still not entirely clear on <em>what<em> he planned to do about his feelings for Beth, but no longer able to escape the reality that he _did_ in fact have feelings. Today however, those feelings were making it nearly impossible to think rationally about the Anders situation. Right now he was trying to stay calm and focus on fighting to get Beth back, but it wasn't easy.

Mick was in the process of rapidly tearing apart the bookcase in his apartment to extricate the arsenal of weapons hidden behind its back panels when Josef's voice startled him.

"What are you doing?"

Mick couldn't help it. He was already on edge. He jumped and spun around, brandishing a large blade in front of him. Josef stood not more than three feet away and blinked at him inquisitively.

"Don't do that!" Mick snapped.

"What? Use my crafty vampire abilities to sneak up on you?" Josef asked sounding amused.

Mick gritted his teeth and ignored Josef's jibe, instead reaching past him to toss the knife into a small chest sitting open on a table nearby. The chest already contained a collection of weapons specially designed to inflict maximum damage on vampires in particular.

If there was one thing Mick did not have time or patience for right now it was teasing or lecturing from Josef. His friend habitually took almost nothing seriously, but Mick couldn't afford to be distracted. "Why are you here?" Mick asked Josef as he went back to the bookcase to open another panel.

"Guillermo called me and said you were about to do something extremely stupid." Josef's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I said: 'Wait! That can't be the Mick that I know.'" A passing glance told Mick that Josef was looking at him with something that closely resembled paternal exasperation.

Suddenly it struck Mick that Josef coming by could be considered a good thing. Mick needed all the help he could get. He stopped in front of Josef, still holding a large wooden stake in each hand. "You should come," he told Josef. "You love a challenge."

Unfortunately Josef was not in the mood to play along. "No, see, I'm a lover. I'm not a fighter." Josef automatically rejected Mick's suggestion. "And besides, I'd just get dead trying to protect you: the human liability."

A wave of irritation surged through Mick. Enough already. Yes he was human, but he was hardly an invalid. Mick squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. "I can take care of myself," he insisted loudly, clenching each stake in a fist.

He almost didn't know what hit him.

First Mick heard the sound of a roar as if from a wild animal. His eyes flew open in surprise but he had only a second to register that a fully vamped and enraged Josef was about to attack him. Josef ripped the stakes from Mick's hands and flung them away. Before Mick could think about his lost weapons, a powerful blow from Josef sent Mick flying across the room backwards, slamming his body into the far wall with enough force to rattle his teeth. Mick's head was still spinning with shock when suddenly Josef was not ten feet away across the room but directly in front of him, pinning Mick in place with an iron grip. Mick hadn't even seen or heard Josef move.

By outward appearances none of this made sense. Josef physically looked somewhat smaller and weaker than Mick. In a fight they'd always been relatively closely matched. Josef had certainly never held this great of an advantage. That was assuming however that they were both vampires. Evidently being human put Mick at a greater disadvantage than he had appreciated.

Mick struggled against Josef's grasp, straining with all his strength to push Josef away, but it was useless. It was like fighting a steel cage. Mick was held solidly, completely at Josef's mercy with Josef's teeth only inches from Mick's neck.

"Is this how you're going to face them?" Josef snarled, furious. "This is how you want it to end?"

"Get off me!" Mick shouted and jerked his body again, angry. When Josef didn't immediately let go he shouted again, louder this time. "Get off me!"

At last Josef released his grip although he stood tense and stock still, not stepping back. Once Mick was free however, he slowly brushed past Josef, anxious to put distance between them. He made it only a short distance before stopping, lifting his hand to rub the sore spot on the back of his head.

"Well, I hope I made my point." Josef spoke in a low voice from behind him.

Mick took a deep breath and swallowed the thick lump that had formed in his throat. "Yeah, you did."

The blind hope that Mick had been clinging to, the vague plan to storm into Ander's lab, rescue Beth, and remain a human being, that scenario was fading into the distance for what it was, an unrealistic fantasy. He turned around and met Josef's eyes.

Josef's brows immediately narrowed as if expecting an argument. "What?"

"You were right." Mick told him. "I can't save Beth as a human. But I can save her as a vampire. You have to turn me back."

Far from his earlier cavalier attitude, Josef's expression was serious and stricken. Disbelief dawned on his face and he quickly shook his head. "Whoa, you hold on. This is not…"

"You have to turn me back," Mick repeated firmly, "Right now."

"Mick, you're human again." Josef voice rose, incredulous. "After all you went through to get the cure, you're going to give it up this easy?"

At Josef's words emotion choked Mick's chest making it hard for him to speak. Tears sprang to his eyes.

"You think this is easy for me?" Mick strangled out. "This is not easy, okay?" He jabbed his forefinger in Josef's direction for emphasis. "I don't have a choice."

"What you're asking me to do…" Josef sounded horrified.

Panic seized Mick. All the fear of the last few hours since Beth's kidnapping bubbled to the surface and his self-control vanished. He rushed forward, grabbed Josef roughly by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him hard against the wall. "Listen to me, alright!" Mick yelled as Josef's eyes widened. "He has Beth." Mick exhaled and sucked in a shaky gasp of air. His voice trembled and its volume dropped as he pled softly with Josef. "He has my Beth… so, please, please, brother."

Josef held his gaze and Mick could see grief and sorrow reflected in them. For a moment he was afraid that Josef would refuse to do as Mick asked.

At last Josef spoke quietly, only two words.

"Forgive me."

Relief flooded through Mick and he gave a quick nod before shutting his eyes and turning his head to the side, giving Josef better access to his neck.

A loud snarl startled Mick, as Josef grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace. There was a painful sting that felt like being stabbed and Josef's teeth dug into Mick's skin. Mick's first kneejerk reaction was fear, breathtaking, overwhelming fear. This wasn't his friend. This wasn't the person he'd known for over fifty years. Someone he laughed with, trusted, worried about, sought advice from. This was a creature that was draining the blood from his body, killing him and he was scared. He was falling down a hole, into a deep black pit. There was light in the distance, sunlight maybe, but instead of approaching it, he was moving away. It was growing dimmer and harder to make out.

He hadn't known what was happening the last time he'd gone through this, when Coraline had drained him. But this time was different. This time he knew what was happening. It made it worse somehow.

_Jesus it hurts. Make it stop, anything to make it stop. _

He was struggling to keep his eyes open, but the strength was fading from his body. He let his eyes close and his consciousness drifted away, unmoored from reality.

Dying. This is what dying felt like.

He saw himself back on the beach with Beth, walking at water's edge, holding her hand. The sun was bright and hot overhead, shimmering a reflection on the blue water. He gave her hand a tug, stopping, and she turned her face to look at him, a question playing across her beautiful features. He could feel a smile break out across his mouth, as he leaned in to kiss her. Her mouth quirked up at the corner amused, but she closed her eyes and met him halfway. Her soft lips touched his and lingered.

_My beautiful Beth. _

The vision melted away. Everything melted away, and he was in the bottom of a deep, black pit. He could feel a single tear roll down his cheek.

He could give up. Right now he could. Part of him wanted to.

But then there was a drop of something on his lips, a warm, metallic liquid, a familiar liquid. His tongue darted out to taste it.

Blood.

First one drop, and then there were many. His mouth opened, wanting more.

Josef's voice filtered down through a haze to reach him. "Come on, Mick. Rise and shine."

And suddenly he was hungry, so hungry. He needed more, wanted to drink more.

He reached up, finding the source of the drops of liquid. Mick seized Josef's arm and pulled it to his mouth, drinking blood greedily from the open wound he found there. He drank and drank until the hunger abated and he finally released Josef's arm.

It was as if the blurry world was snapping into focus around him, like adjusting a camera lens. His quiet apartment became alive with sound. His skin crawled with sensation. He knew exactly where he was in space, flat on his back on the dining room table. He could sense Josef standing next to the table and he could smell the blood from the healing wound. Mick's body no longer felt warm, but cold.

And the cold felt good. Real good.

Anders' face swam up into his mind. He had her. Anders had Beth.

Mick slowly sat up, letting his body complete the full transformation. He could feel his eyes shift and his fangs descend.

Anger, cold, dispassionate anger.

_I'm coming for you, you Fucker!_

He let out a roar.

He was back.

* * *

><p>Mick sent the door to Anders' laboratory facility flying off its hinges with one swift kick before striding through the doorway. Once inside he quickly identified three vampires, two fully vamped in addition to Anders. All three men stopped what they were doing, surprised and alarmed, to turn toward Mick and Josef behind him.<p>

Mick didn't take his eyes off of the opposing vampires, but out of his peripheral vision he could see Beth sitting on the floor, blindfolded and tied to the D.A. Benjamin Talbot. Although he could hear their elevated breathing and heart rates, it was clear that they were unharmed for the most part. The anxious fear for her safety that had been lurking in the back of his brain eased.

Of course this merely allowed him to direct even more of his energy into getting his hands on Anders and hurting him.

He met the good doctor's eyes from across the room. Anders face, still of a human appearance, paled considerably. "You're a…"

Mick gave him a cold stare. "Oh yeah."

"It is so on," Josef taunted.

Anders two lackeys sprang at Mick and Josef. Josef jumped up and met one of them in midair. The other, a dark haired vampire, sprinted towards Mick, throwing a round kick followed by a jab in Mick's direction. Mick blocked the kick and stopped the punch by reaching out to grab the man's fist with his own hand. Not letting go, Mick held him there as he threw a punch of his own that connected with the vampire's jaw, spinning him around and backwards.

Next to Mick, Josef had a firm grip on the first vampire. Josef hurtled him across the room, where the man crashed into a large steel and glass cabinet. Unfortunately for the vampire, as the glass shattered a large chunk of it tore through his neck, nearly severing his head from his body. The man landed on the floor with a thud and shuddered a little before becoming motionless, his blank eyes staring into space.

The vampire that had attacked Mick had recovered himself and came back again, with more kicks. Mick knocked the man down with a kick of his own before picking him up and propelling him into a display wall filled with large beakers of blood. A few of the beakers shattered, sending a scarlet rain down the wall. As the vampire staggered to his feet, Mick crossed the room, grabbed him and lifted him up. With his right hand Mick removed a stake from his jacket pocket and plunged it into the vampire's heart before dropping him to the floor.

Mick's attention flashed back to Anders who, having seen Mick and Josef so speedily dispatch his body guards, was hiding on the far side of the room behind a metal lab table. Anders' gaze locked on to Mick and Mick saw fear there before Anders' eyes changed to a vampire's icy blue.

_Yeah, you should be scared._

Anders made a run for it, darting sideways to barrel past Mick toward the room's exit. He may have considered himself fast, but he wasn't quite fast enough. Mick caught up with him, grabbing Anders from behind by throwing an arm around his neck. Anders feet flew out from under him as Mick jerked him back. Not wasting any time, Mick seized the doctor's head, snapping his neck. After letting him fall to the floor, Mick pulled out a second stake and drove it through Anders heart, paralyzing him.

"Ooh, very dramatic." Mick heard Josef's voice from behind him. "I like it."

Anger still pulsed through Mick as he paused, watching to be sure Anders was completely immobilized. The impulse to take out his machete and chop off Anders' head struck him briefly, but after a moment passed he ultimately decided against it. Anders was contained and Mick could call the Cleaners and let them hand out the justice they saw fit. Besides, he had more important matters to attend to.

He stood up and turned his attention to Beth and Talbot, striding back to where they were tied up on the floor. They were both blind folded and Mick could sense they were even more frightened than when he'd arrived. He knelt down next to Beth and started untying the medical tubing that was tying up her wrists. At his touch Beth's head jerked in his direction and he could hear her heart rate speed up. She was breathing in ragged panicked gasps.

"I'm here," he reassured her. "It's okay."

"Mick!" Relief flooded Beth's voice. "Oh, God."

"Wait. Who's there?" Talbot's head swiveled back and forth from left to right, between Mick, still helping Beth, and Josef who was working to remove the ties on Talbot's hands. Talbot had not relaxed yet from what Mick could sense and remained in a state of high alert. "St. John? What's going on?"

Neither Mick nor Josef answered Talbot. Mick was still not really thrilled with the guy after the chilly reception Talbot had given him during their first meeting yesterday.

Mick finally freed Beth's hands from their binds and reached out to pull the blindfold up off of her eyes. She blinked a few times and squinted as her eyes focused, but once they did she looked up right into his face. A new expression immediately found its way onto her features. Dismay.

He hadn't shifted back to look human, wanting to maintain the extra boost his senses received when he was fully vamped, just in case Anders had any more friends lurking around.

"Your face." She lifted her hand to rest on his cheek, her blue eyes filled with worry. "What happened?" she asked.

Her reaction stung him a little, but he wasn't really sure whose disappointment at changing back really bothered him, his own… or hers.

"Like they say: Life is short." He tried to make a dry joke, but Beth's face did not lose its look of concern.

He helped her get to her feet and they headed together toward the exit, Mick's arm wrapped protectively around her back.

"Keep the blindfold on him," Mick directed over his shoulder to Josef who was pulling Talbot along behind them.

"What the hell is going on?" Talbot tried again to get an answer.

Josef indulged Talbot, telling him what Mick thought was already fairly evident.

"We're saving your ass."

* * *

><p>Mick let Josef handle taking Talbot home, an exercise that he was fairly certain would involve leaving Talbot blindfolded for the entire trip, not that he cared much about Talbot's comfort.<p>

As he drove Beth back to her apartment, Mick pretty much expected her to forget his earlier dinner invitation. He wouldn't have blamed her for wanting to call it a night. To say that it had been an extremely rough twenty-four hours was an understatement.

In truth, having spent half the afternoon scared that she might be dead, he didn't particularly want to part from Beth's company just then. He still felt uneasy and being near her helped him to relax.

On the other hand, he could see how completely exhausted she was as a result of her ordeal. He also wondered how badly her head hurt. She had said she'd been unconscious, but in typical Beth fashion, she insisted she was fine and refused to see a doctor.

It was therefore a surprise when, after walking her to her door, Beth turned to look at him with a hesitant smile and asked if they were still on for dinner tonight

Caught off guard, he didn't answer right away. He only realized that his astonishment must have been written all over his face after Beth, reading his reaction, hurried to back pedal, saying of course he must be tired and maybe she should just take a rain check.

A light feeling of relief spread through him. He reassured her that they were definitely still on for dinner. He'd be happy if she still wanted to come over. He was even pretty confident that he hadn't forgotten how to work the oven in the last five hours. That comment made her smile broaden, and she had rewarded him with a light laugh.

Now it was very late and they were sitting across from one another on a blanket that Mick had laid out on the roof top patio of his apartment building. The moon hung high overhead and the lights of the city spread out around them. Despite the stress of the day, or maybe because of it, Mick wasn't sure exactly, Beth had eaten a lot of food which he was glad to see. Even if he was a bit disappointed to no longer be able to eat anything, he still wanted to do something for her.

Beth finished her chicken and picked up a strawberry, taking a bite of it. He took a swallow of his wine as he watched her. It no longer had quite the same flavor as when he'd been human, not now that he craved blood instead of actual food and drink, but the alcohol felt good in his system nonetheless.

"How is everything?" he asked her.

Beth gave him a thumbs up and smiled. "Delicious."

"Good." He gave a short laugh at her enthusiasm. "I was worried about the seasoning."

Beth laughed a little too, but the sound died and gave way to silence. She stared back at him and her smile was gradually replaced with a new, serious expression. An uncomfortable queasy sensation formed in the pit of his stomach. It looked like she had something important she wanted to say, and he wasn't sure he was prepared to hear it.

When she finally spoke again her voice was unsteady. "I don't know what to say about what you did for me," she began. "What you gave up." Her gaze didn't waver from his face. "Part of you must hate me."

A nasty jolt ran through him and the queasy feeling became a painful knot. _That's what she thinks? _Nothing was further from the truth. He couldn't have lived with himself as a human if something had happened to her.

"I could never hate you," he replied honestly, without thinking twice.

Her calm façade dropped a little. "But you're back to being a vampire." She sounded frustrated.

In her voice he could also hear the guilt she felt and that bothered him. That was the last thing he wanted. It had been his decision to make. He would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant protecting her.

"I don't have any regrets." He hoped she'd hear the sincerity in his voice and believe him. "Okay?"

Beth met his eyes again and an embarrassed look of amusement crossed her face. Her mouth turned up at one corner and she raised an eyebrow. "None?"

His insides flipped as he stared back at her in mute bewilderment, unable, or maybe unwilling to follow her meaning and formulate an intelligent response.

She went ahead took his inability to answer as agreement on his part. Her eyes darted away, down to her hands. "Yeah, this isn't exactly how I pictured our date either."

He could feel his eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean?" he heard himself asking.

"You know what I mean. I'm human, you're a vampire. We're right back where we started."

So that's what this was about. She assumed if he hadn't turned back then their date wouldn't be quite this… platonic. His chest tightened and he was filled with an inexplicable fear.

_Would you be keeping your distance like this? _The unwelcome question echoed in his mind. He couldn't really say he knew either way what he would have done if circumstances had been different. There was still a large, looming gulf between what his heart told him he wanted with Beth, and what his head told him was a good idea.

He looked away from her. "I just…" he paused, searching for the right words. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Maybe you're afraid of getting hurt." She calmly turned his words back on him.

It didn't escape Mick that only twenty-four hours earlier Josef had said almost the exact same thing. How was it they both saw this in him?

"I know what it's like to lose people you love," Beth reminded him, her voice filled with wounded emotion. "It's part of life."

_That doesn't make it any easier to cope with though, _he thought.

It almost didn't matter if intellectually he knew that he was just pushing Beth away as a means of insulating himself from the pain of loving her and then losing her. He could rationally tell himself all sorts of things. But that knowledge didn't help him get the words out of his mouth, to tell her what he'd told Josef, and only just barely admitted to himself…

That he loved her.

He had tried to imagine a future with the two of them together as they were now, but his fears kept getting in the way. Beth was a smart woman. Even if she hadn't yet run screaming away horrified because he was a vampire, and he could still envision that scenario all too well, he knew eventually she'd just get fed up with all the complications that defined his life. What sane human woman would choose to stay with him as he scavenged for blood and hid from daylight?

His emotions kept getting the better of him and even with her here, right in front of him, pleading with him to do anything other than pretend he didn't have feelings for her, he still kept his distance.

It was better to not get attached to begin with wasn't it?

Only it _was_ a little late for that. He had passed _attached _a long time ago.

"Relationships between humans and vampires are…" he tried to explain, only too late realizing she heard this speech one too many times.

"Are difficult, dangerous and complicated." She cut him off. "I know, you told me." Irritated and losing her patience, Beth stood up. He could see tension, even outright anger making her body rigid as she looked down at him.

"If you hadn't been a vampire, I'd have died today." Beth's voice shook as she spat out each word. "I'd have died 23 years ago."

Mick shot to his feet as well. He wanted to say something, do something, even if he was at a loss as to what that was.

"Being a vampire isn't all you are," she continued, the anger draining from her voice, replaced instead with sadness. "It's not what's keeping us apart." Beth didn't take her eyes off of him.

"It's just you," she finished softly.

He felt like he'd been hit with a physical blow to the chest, like his heart had stopped beating and the air was gone from his lungs. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth.

Him. It was just him. He wasn't protecting her. He was pushing her away. Why? Because he couldn't, wouldn't reach out and take the hand that Beth was offering him. Would it have been any different if he were a human? Or would it have just been another excuse?

He felt rather than saw as Beth moved to brush past him, heading toward the stairs that led away, off of the roof. She was going to leave and he'd be alone.

_No! Please don't leave. I don't want you to leave._

Suddenly none of it mattered anymore, only her… how much he wanted her, needed her. His thoughts, his fears, every hurt disappeared in that moment.

Just as she'd passed by him, he pivoted toward her and reached out, wrapping his hand around her upper arm. Stopping her forward motion, he turned her around and pulled her body in close against him. Before he could stop to question it, he gave in to desire. He quickly leaned in and pressed his mouth against hers in a strong kiss.

Not only did she not stop him or pull away, she kissed him back.

His entire body lit up inside and flew.

He kissed her again and again, insistently, letting his lips move over hers. Not tentative or shy, he poured his love for her into his kiss, tasting her, soaking in the soft warmth of her mouth. He could feel her hands pressing into his back as she clung to him and it felt wonderful. He wanted her to hold on to him.

She was beautiful and funny and smart and stubborn and determined and he loved her. Being near her felt so good, kissing her felt amazing.

He loved her so damned much.

He let the wave of emotion carry him, until at last he broke the kiss, keeping one hand curled in her hair.

He opened his eyes and stared straight down into her blue ones, only inches away. She looked up at him both hopeful and uncertain at the same time.

He wanted this, to be with her, by her side, he just needed to figure out how to get out of his own way and let it happen.

"Maybe you're right," he said. "I don't know. But just give me a chance to figure it out, okay?"

She seemed to consider his request. "Just don't take too long," she reproached him in a thick voice. "You may have forever, but I don't."

She started to move away again, walking slowly backward out of his reach. Still, she kept her eyes locked on his face and he could see compassion there. He held onto her hand for as long as he could, and she gave his a gentle squeeze before letting her fingers slip away.

With one last quick look over her shoulder at him, she turned and ran down the stairs, off of the roof top.

He was left alone after all.

Yet strangely, that felt okay to him now. She may have been gone, but he could still feel her, lingering with him, inside his heart.

He closed his eyes and absorbed the sound and feel of the world around him, felt the cool night air on his skin, listened to the hum of the sleeping city.

He was no longer a human, true, but he also couldn't remember that last time he'd felt so very alive.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: The following is an adaptation of the TV show Moonlight. I do not own these characters or plot elements from the show.**

**Author's Note: First half of episode titled Click. Please leave a review. :)**

* * *

><p>Beth was seated at a table for two on the outside patio of the trendy restaurant Sancerre, picking her way through a salad. She gave her dining partner a quick glance before taking a bite of her food as he talked.<p>

She had to give him credit. For all her misgivings, he had thus far today been polite and concerned, asking questions about how Beth was coping with Maureen's loss and how she was recovering from their shared unfortunate encounter with the good Dr. Anders.

When ADA Benjamin Talbot had called and asked if Beth would meet him for lunch, her initial reaction had been hesitant. Talbot did not strike her as the sort of guy who did anything casually and without a purpose, so she had no doubt there was a reason he wanted to meet her.

She hoped that Ben had merely wanted to talk with someone about how being kidnapped and threatened had affected him, someone who could understand because she'd been through it as well. She really did want to believe this was Ben's sole motivation, but the cynic in her was having trouble putting aside the suspicion that Ben harbored ulterior motives to find out more about the elusive Anders. Ben had already told her that he'd taken a team back to Anders' offices to investigate but the place had been cleared out.

It had also occurred to her that if Ben was still hell bent on investigating Anders, it was possible that Mick's extreme efforts in their rescue had not escaped his attention either. An assistant district attorney investigating a dead vampire was one thing, but an ADA investigating Mick, the living vampire private investigator that she was currently in some fashion of undefined relationship with, was definitely much worse.

Of course the other potential option was that Ben had asked her out to lunch simply because he liked her in the romantic sense of the word.

Although certainly a harmless reason compared to investigating Anders and Mick, Beth didn't find this possibility any more attractive.

Not that Benjamin Talbot was inherently unappealing. She was forced to admit, he was obviously successful, interesting, quite driven from her observation, and yes, he did happen to be handsome too. If the romantic half of her brain was not already completely occupied she'd be flattered by the prospect of Benjamin Talbot's attentions toward her.

But things being as they were, she was just trying to get through lunch, without making it too obvious that she trying to evaluate what Talbot was thinking after their confusing abduction by Dr. Anders. So far it seemed that Ben didn't have any idea what had gone on, either with Anders' plans or Mick and Josef's rescue, but she also was still receiving the disturbing impression that Ben was not quite ready to drop the matter either. She had tried to distract him by talking about her concerns regarding her job at Buzzwire now that Maureen was gone.

"Listen, I've worked with many DA's offices and whenever you get a new boss…"

Beth realized that Ben was talking and she hadn't really been paying attention.

"Well, everybody runs things differently," Ben shrugged. "You know, it's all about personality."

"Yeah, but Maureen is what made BuzzWire work for me," Beth told him, catching up to what he was saying. "She was totally supportive of the kind of stories I wanted to pursue."

"And your new boss isn't?"

Ah yes, her new boss. What about him? He was a big unknown. Unfortunately Beth was well aware of how cutthroat the world of journalism could be, particularly in the world of online news. There was no guarantee the new boss would see eye to eye with her, particular if his main motivation was the bottom line, as it was bound to be.

Still though, she had no specific reason to believe things would go badly either. She gave herself a quick reminder not to jump to negative conclusions. "I don't know yet," she told Ben. "He's calling a big meeting this afternoon to discuss BuzzWire's new direction."

"Which might not include stories about demented college professor's or serial killers?" Ben gave her a wry smile.

Beth stared back at him in surprise. "You've looked up my stories."

"Yeah," Ben nodded. He paused as if considering how to continue. "They're not what I expected," he finally admitted.

Beth could feel her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"

"They're not all fluff."

_You were expecting fluff? _Beth was unsure if she should feel pleased by his assessment of her work or offended by his initial assumption that she would write mindless tripe. "Thanks," she responded, before adding, "I think."

If she hadn't been curious about his motivations before she was definitely intrigued now. She decided to just cut to the chase. "So, you've been reading my stories, you've asked me to lunch. Why?"

Ben shook his head a little and shrugged. "Nothing nefarious, I just wanted to learn more about you. We went through some pretty heavy stuff together."

"Yeah," Beth nodded in agreement, "it's not like you get kidnapped by a plastic surgeon every day."

Beth may have already reverted to sarcasm but Ben appeared to not yet be ready to take their ordeal so lightly. "We almost died," he pointed out as the volume of his voice rose, "and I keep wanting to talk about it, but I can't seem to explain it to most people."

"Well, you can't," she explained matter of factly, meeting his eyes, "unless you've experienced it. There's no point of reference." If there was one thing Beth felt like she was an expert on by now, it was traumatic, life threatening situations and the difficulties of relating to other people afterward.

"Exactly." Ben gave a short laugh and looked relieved that she agreed. "You know, I still don't understand how Mick and that other guy got us out of there."

_Uh yes, right, no idea, absolutely no idea. _Beth gave an elaborate shrug and did her best to put on an innocent, mystified, I have no clue face. Of course she knew if Ben wanted to continue his line of thought and ask more questions about Mick this conversation could get real uncomfortable, very fast.

Thankfully that didn't happen as Ben got distracted by the screech of car tires when a silver sports car zoomed to a stop directly in front of the restaurant's entrance. He turned away from Beth to look over his shoulder at the car. He was far from alone, as pretty much every eye on the patio was now fixated on the expensive luxury vehicle.

Hot on the trail of the silver car, two large, black, SUVs came hurling around the corner, stopping unceremoniously and none too safely at the curb. Before the silver car's occupants could exit, photographers, paparazzi Beth guessed, jumped out of the SUVs and swarmed around the sports car, cameras whirring and flashing.

_Welcome to Beverly Hills, _Beth thought shaking her head.

"Who is that?" Ben asked.

The driver of the silver car finally exited the vehicle, a slim, attractive brunette that Beth instantly recognized as the movie star Tierney Taylor.

Ben did a double take, glancing quickly at Beth then back to toward the chaos at the restaurant entrance. "Is that Tierney Taylor?"

"Yeah. Making her 'Look at me, I'm a celebrity'- entrance." Beth couldn't keep the disdain from creeping into her voice. True, she'd lived in Los Angeles her entire life. She even worked for a news web site that admittedly covered a great deal of gossip surrounding the _in_ crowd of the Hollywood circuit. Still though, Beth wasn't a fan of the culture of celebrity that pervaded the world around her. As a journalist it was the truth they were hiding behind their phony facades that interested her more anyway.

Beth had been about to turn her attention back to her lunch, when the car's second occupant got out from the passenger side of the car. It was almost funny how for a millisecond her brain was pleasantly intrigued by the potential identity of the tall, fit, dark haired man. That was before the shock of recognition stuck her with a jolt of adrenaline and about a million questions.

_Mick?!_

What was Mick doing with paparazzi bait of the month Tierney Taylor? Out in public in broad daylight no less?

Although her mind began racing to give a host of perfectly reasonable excuses as to why Mick could be with Tierney, the overshadowing emotion that promptly dominated Beth's feelings, she hated to admit, was jealousy.

_Good lord, get a grip_. She tried to shake off the knee jerk reaction and remind herself that she was not, in fact, a teenage girl. Seeing Mick in presence of another woman shouldn't rattle her.

Okay, yes, Tierney was a good deal more attractive than your average female, but still….

On some level Beth was aware that her overreaction could perhaps be owed to both the intensity and conflicted nature of her last encounter with Mick. It had left her emotions a bit off balance. How exactly was she supposed to feel after the way Mick kissed her and then immediately told her he still needed to figure things out? On the one hand, she was thrilled that at least she finally had some evidence that her feelings weren't entirely one sided. On the other side, she had no assurances that he'd ever really be able to get over the mental block he'd set up between them. Beth could feel a scowl threatening to deposit itself on her face when two things happened.

First Mick, scanning the crowd, noticed Beth, looking straight at her and a small smile immediately crept across his mouth. His pleased expression melted any fears she might have had in an instant and she could feel her face flush at his attention.

Second, Mick's gaze moved from Beth to her dining partner… Benjamin Talbot. Mick's features shifted and Beth thought she detected annoyance in them.

_Oh you don't like this do you? _She raised an eyebrow and gave Mick a smile, inclining her head ever so slightly towards Ben, who at the moment was not paying attention to them. _Hey, you're the one who said you needed time to figure things out. _

These fleeting expressions crossed Mick's face in rapid succession before the commotion surrounding Tierney dictated that he turn his attention back to her. Tierney stood preening and flashing her audience a brilliant smile. Mick hurried around the front end of the car to stand next to her and help escort her through the throng and into the restaurant.

The photographers pushed and shoved one another, shouting Tierney's name in an effort to attract her attention and focus her gaze into their particular lens. They crowded around Tierney and Mick, trying to get their shot. It was a scene that Beth was familiar with having been raised in L.A. Always a messy maelstrom, incidents of paparazzi surrounding and attacking celebrities had gotten a great deal worse in the last decade as the prices for photos had skyrocketed. Buzzwire, Beth was reluctant to admit, had no doubt contributed to this particular problem.

As Beth watched Tierney and Mick however, one photographer over stepped his bounds. Not content with simply shoving his fellow paparazzi to get the shot, he closed in on Tierney herself. He thrust his camera so close to her face that Beth could see the young star recoil and take a step back. Mick intervened, grabbing the photographer and pushing him away forcefully. Beth could tell Mick exchanged words with the man, but they were too far away for her to hear what was said. She could guess that whatever it was, was probably none too pleasant. Tierney went on ahead into the restaurant but Mick shot a last look back at the offending man before following her.

The hostess conveniently seated Mick and Tierney close enough that Beth could see them from her vantage point. Thankfully, Ben was facing away from their table so it was awkward for him to turn around and look at Mick. Not that it stopped him from shooting the occasional glance in that direction.

"Is that Mick with Tierney Taylor?" Ben cocked an eyebrow and gave Beth an inquisitive, amused look that she didn't appreciate.

"It appears to be." Beth thought her attempt to keep her tone casual and unconcerned was successful. Unfortunately she didn't manage to maintain this impression for very long.

"Oh," was all Ben said as he turned his attention back to his food.

Beth couldn't stop herself. "What?" she demanded.

Ben glanced at her as if surprised and shrugged. "Nothing."

His short answers were beginning to get on her nerves. Clearly he had something going on in his head, and although she could guess what it was, she'd rather he just say it. "Your expression isn't nothing. What is it?"

"No I just thought that you and Mick…" Ben gave her a look.

Beth stared back at Ben, not speaking and waiting for him to continue. He opted not to finish his thought though, letting his unspoken question dangle in the air.

* * *

><p>During the week since my rooftop encounter with Mick I've tried to envision what he would say the next time I saw him. How would he act? We have had what I thought were some pretty intense moments in the past, only to have him later behave as if nothing happened. In comparison to those other situations though, this time he did <em>kiss me<em> after all. Not vice versa. He could have let me run off down those stairs but he didn't. All in all, I was in a pretty good mood about the whole _us _ thing.

Still though, no matter how positive I thought I felt, watching Mick escort a beautiful young movie star into a Beverly Hills restaurant was not without a twinge of doubt. I am human.

Of course, it did not look like Mick was especially pleased to see me out with Benjamin Talbot. Maybe that makes us even in the jealousy department?

I tried to concentrate on listening to Ben and not get distracted, wondering why Mick was having lunch with Tierney Taylor. That being said, I was glad when I finally had the chance to say goodbye to Ben and thank him for inviting me.

I did mostly enjoy talking to Ben. Aside from his annoying habit of deliberately pushing my buttons, he's an interesting guy and it is nice to talk to someone about normal problems for a change. Things like work and getting kidnapped and almost killed by a plastic surgeon. You know, the usual.

On the more self-serving side I was also glad he suggested getting together because it gives me the chance to keep an eye on him. Sure enough, the number of times he mentioned Mick's name tells me I'm right to be concerned. It makes me think Ben's inquisitive nature could be a problem. The why he's interested in Mick is almost beside the point. What worries me more is the nature of the information he could unearth if he starts digging into Mick's background.

At least Ben left the restaurant without trying to talk to Mick. Of course that was because Mick was occupied with _Tierney_, but I digress.

"Hot lunch date?" I cornered Mick as he and Tierney were leaving the restaurant.

"Very hot." Mick answered me seriously, making a face. "And it's sunny, definitely too much sun." He looked over at me, finally making eye contact, and judging by his reaction easily read my thoughts. "It's not a date" he added hastily.

Okay, I didn't actually believe it was a date, but it was nice to hear his confirmation of this fact nonetheless. The quick flash of concern in his eye over my reaction didn't hurt either. "Are you working for Tierney Taylor?" I asked him.

"What do you know about her?"

"Just what everybody does," I answered. "What her favorite color is, everybody she's ever dated, what she had for dinner last night." I guess my snide tone made it obvious that celebrity overexposure is a California specialty I am not particularly fond of.

"Right." Mick caught my meaning and nodded grimly. He paused for a second. "Look, I've been meaning to call you about the other night."

"The other night when you kissed me?" Unable to resist the temptation to tease a little, I gave him a smirk. If I left matters up to him there's a good chance he'd be perfectly happy to understate the whole situation.

A self-conscious smile flashed across his face. "So… how do you want to do this?"

I tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard to stop myself from smiling back at him. "It's called dating."

"Right," he nodded again. "We… we go out, get to know each other."

"You've known me since I was four."

"Okay, it's weird when you say it like that." Mick laughed softly and I joined in.

Suddenly, both our attention was pulled to a commotion behind us.

"Tierney!" "Tierney!" "Over here Tierney."

A mass of photographers surrounded Tierney, calling her name, as she made her way towards us and out of the restaurant. Seeing her, Mick hurried to step in and protect her from the throng, pushing aggressive camera wielding paparazzi out of the way.

In the chaos I stepped back, trying to extricate myself from the crowd, but amid all the people jostling back and forth I stumbled, struggling to keep my feet. I manage to stay upright, barely, no thanks to anyone around me I might add. When I looked out again, I found Mick, opening the passenger side door of Tierney's silver sports car, where the valet had stopped it in the street, directly in front of the restaurant. Presumably Tierney had already seated herself behind the wheel. Mick met my eyes and gave a quick apologetic shrug, before disappearing into the car. It zoomed away shortly thereafter.

I couldn't help thinking that whatever job Tierney had hired Mick for, I hoped it would be over soon. I would much rather deal with the craziness of his life, than hers.

* * *

><p>After leaving the restaurant I got back to Buzzwire in time for my afternoon meeting. I walked into the building having already stopped thinking about Mick working for Tierney and focused my attention on my own job.<p>

Or more accurately, I was concentrating on how best to approach my new boss. I could only hope that this new guy had done his homework and could see the value of the stories I'd brought to Buzzwire. Any journalist worth his salt would see that I didn't need my hand held. I only needed a boss that would support my interests and get out of my way.

Grant Lewis gathered the entire staff in the main news room. With his longish blond hair and embellished sport coat over a tee shirt, he looked like cross between a surfer dude and a wannabe hipster. He talked like an abusive manager on a used car lot, trying and failing to motivate his sales force. Unfortunately it only took the first few minutes of his spiel to see that my vision and his vision of Buzzwire's direction and purpose were probably not the same thing.

Lewis made it clear that his first priority was dragging in readers with salacious headlines. The accuracy of those stories was of little concern to him. We could always print a retraction later. He also wanted us to go after celebrity news above all else.

Still, despite all the obvious warning signs, after the meeting I strode up to Mr. Lewis to introduce myself with a firm handshake.

At first blush my hopes rose when Lewis knew who I was and told me he had his eye on me.

Fantastic, he'd seen my work. Maybe everything would be alright after all.

Just as quickly though, those thoughts were crushed. Lewis had heard I had an in with Tierney Taylor's new boyfriend… Mick St John.

I was beginning to hate Tierney, and I'd never even spoken to the girl.

* * *

><p>Several hours later I was all dressed up and headed out to a glamourous party on the old Cunard ocean liner turned hotel, The Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach. The party was being thrown by the producer of Tierney's latest film, Lusitania. Word had it that the production was troubled and the start date for photography had been delayed several times. My less than stellar new boss had decided that my connection to Mick would be a good way to get the scoop on both Tierney and the movie, so he'd wrangled an invite to the party for me.<p>

Call me crazy, but I have the feeling that Mick would not be thrilled with my trying dig into the life and work of his client for an article. While it is true that a large number of my stories over the past year have intersected with his cases, those were news worthy crimes in and of themselves. This time, since his client is a celebrity actress, I doubt that whatever he's working on for Tierney is welcome for public knowledge.

Rather than surprise him at the party, I sent Mick a text asking if he would be following Tierney tonight. He replied back quickly that he would be there, not surprisingly adding the expected question, _why_ and _did I need him_. I texted back that I was covering the party for Buzzwire and I'd see him there.

If Mick had any concerns about what exactly I was assigned to cover, thankful he didn't say anything.

At the pier I parked my car and was walking toward the ship's entrance when, for the second time today, I spotted Mick escorting Tierney. They exited a limo, Tierney and her actual boyfriend, a musician I recognized by the name of Scott Walsh, from the back, and Mick from the passenger seat in the front, next to the driver.

Deja vu, just as earlier, one photographer from the pack got too close to Tierney, forcing Mick to push the guy back and away from her. This time though, instead of staying with Tierney, Mick let her go on ahead with her boyfriend. The photographers couldn't follow beyond a roped off barricade protected with several bouncers. Mick turned to the offending paparazzo. Overweight and sleazy looking, it was the same man from the restaurant at lunch time. Mick's conversation with him was longer than at the restaurant but obviously just as heated as earlier. At one point Mick grabbed the guy by the collar of his jacket and it looked like Mick would hit him. Mick didn't though, opting to release the photographer and walk away. I tried to catch up with Mick, but was delayed showing my invitation to the staff at the gate and lost sight of him.

Once inside the party I was introduced to the film's producer, Jason Abbott, and seated at a table with him and the film's investors. I tried my best to be polite and appear attentive to their conversation, but honestly, between the bragging and stroking of egos, there was nothing of substance to be interested in, let alone write a story about. The producer was certainly not going to inform the money men about any problems facing the project. If I was going to find an angle for the story without using Mick's access to Tierney, sitting at this table was not going to accomplish anything.

As soon as I had the opportunity, I excused myself and walked outside to the ship's promenade deck to get a breath of fresh air. I wasn't standing there long before I was joined at the railing by a familiar tall, dark figure.

* * *

><p>"Not enjoying the party?" Mick stopped at the railing next to Beth. He cocked an eyebrow in question but his expression was upbeat.<p>

"That was the most boring conversation of my entire life," Beth answered him honestly. "Tierney's producer has the most unbelievable ego."

"What about the other guys?" Mick asked. "Were they Abbott's bodyguards?"

Beth shook her head. "Investors, they're paying for the movie and this party."

The sound of laughter from behind her interrupted Beth's thoughts and she turned to look in that direction. Not too far down the deck Beth could see Tierney and her boyfriend standing with a few people their own age. Tierney was smiling.

"Looks like Tierney's having fun," Beth remarked as she turned back to face Mick.

"Yeah," he agreed, still staring at the small group. "She doesn't get to relax much."

"So, where does a vampire take a girl on a date?" Beth asked lightly, changing the subject.

Mick's gaze moved from watching Tierney in the distance back to Beth's face. "I don't know," he answered as if really considering the question, "the usual places."

"Probably not a lot of restaurants. I'm guessing you get bored watching women eat."

Mick's expression shifted and he hesitated before responding, looking away from her, out over the railing. If Beth wasn't mistaken he appeared to be a little embarrassed. "Actually… I haven't exactly been in a romantic relationship with a human since I became a vampire."

"What?" She blurted in surprise, her eyes widening. "You mean, you haven't…?"

Mick shook his head. "Not with a human."

It was almost hard to believe. She had always assumed, since he'd lived so long, that at some point he'd been involved with a human. "Wow." The word was out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop it.

"It's not like you've slept with a vampire." Mick's reply sounded indignant.

Beth narrowed her eyes as if trying to remember. "Maybe once in college, but I was really drunk." She grinned at him and he gave a short laugh.

"Right."

The corner of his mouth was still turned up and his expression was content. He didn't say anything else, only continued to watch her quietly without speaking. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling. Her pulse sped up under his stare, wondering where his thoughts were going.

As if to answer her question he leaned closer toward her, not breaking eye contact. Her heart leapt into her throat and her body tensed in anticipation as she realized he intended to kiss her. She felt her own body leaning in as well.

Unfortunately at the last second, they were both jolted from the moment and back to reality by a harsh angry voice, Tierney's voice to be exact.

"What else are you doing behind my back?"

Mick snapped back to stand up straight and Beth's head instinctively swiveled around to see what was happening.

Tierney's other friends were gone and she was alone with her boyfriend Scott. Judging by the expression on her face she wasn't happy.

"I can't believe you don't trust me," Scott shot back at her.

But Tierney didn't seem to care a whole lot about Scott's wounded feelings at the moment. "How can I when you do stuff like this?" she accused him.

"I'm not the one keeping secrets, Tierney." Scott growled at her before stalking away.

Tierney was left alone on the deck, motionless. Tension radiated through her body language but her face bore a mixture of hurt and sadness. It was so different from the public image Beth was used to seeing. Beth felt bad for her. The girl may have beauty and fame, but it was evident that her life was far from easy.

"I'll see you back inside," Mick told Beth who nodded back at him, before watching him sprint off to check on his young client.

* * *

><p>A short while later Beth was sipping a glass of water at the bar inside when Mick walked up beside her.<p>

"There you are. I've been looking for you." He gave her a smile which she returned. "I'm sorry about that."

"Not a problem." Beth shook her head. "Look," she reluctantly began to explain, "I've got to get back to Buzzwire and fabricate a hot story."

Before Mick could react to her words, his head suddenly turned away, as if hearing something. He looked like he had quickly gone into a state of high alert. "Did you hear that?" he asked sounding worried.

Beth had heard nothing beyond the normal noise of the party that continued around them. "What?" She asked, encouraging Mick to elaborate. But instead of answering her, he set off at a run in the direction of his stare, out the door toward the ship's railing. Beth followed him, jogging to keep up.

Beth reached the ship's railing just a moment after Mick. A horrified expression appeared on his face as he looked down into the water. Other party guests, drawn by the commotion, joined them to see what all the fuss was about. Nearby a female voice screamed. A woman's body was floating face up in the water below. Beth instantly recognized her. It hadn't been more than twenty minutes since Beth had last seen her.

"It's Tierney!" Beth exclaimed in shock.

Because her mind was reeling at the impossibility of the sight below, it took a second to register that the person standing next to her was already in motion, vaulting himself over the wooden barricade.

"Mick, No!" she shouted. But he was already gone, dropping the long distance into the water with a splash.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me." Beth shoved one photographer out of the way. "Excuse ME!" she pushed another one, trying to reach the front of the crowd. They were all so focused on trying to get a shot of Tierney's dead body that they didn't react as Beth beat her way past them. Both security from the party, as well as newly arrived police, were pushing the paparazzi back, attempting to prevent them from getting a good look at the scene. An ambulance sat ahead of them blocking the view of part of the dock. In the chaos Beth pushed her way through and toward the vehicle.<p>

When Beth got close enough she could see that Tierney had been hauled out of the water. Mick stood nearby, dripping wet, and watched as a team of paramedics lifted her onto a gurney. Sadly Beth recognized the combination of shock, grief, and helplessness playing across his features. It was a combination of emotions that they were both all too familiar with.

Party goers were still streaming out of the ship. One man approached and whipped out his cell phone, holding it up in front of him to take pictures, as the paramedics attempted to ready Tierney's body for transport.

"Hey, show some respect!" Mick snarled at him.

"For what?" the man scoffed without looking at Mick, making no motion to put his phone away. "Some drunk actress who fell overboard?"

In a few swift steps Mick was in the man's face. Mick ripped the cell phone out of the guy's hand, throwing it into the water. "You want to go for a swim too?"

Surveying Mick's menacing glare, the man wisely opted to cut his losses, backing away from Mick.

"Was she drunk?" Beth asked in all seriousness once she reached him.

Mick's attention shifted from the chastened and retreating party guest over to Beth. "No, she wasn't drunk," he answered Beth sounding agitated, "I would have smelled it on her."

He turned back in the direction of the ship and started at a brisk pace toward the gangway.

"Where are you going?" Beth called after him.

"Tierney's stateroom," he shouted back without slowing down.

Beth began moving after him, hurrying to catch up.

* * *

><p>Tierney's dead. One minute she was standing on the deck of that ship, laughing, arguing with her boyfriend, being a normal girl just barely out of her teens. Twenty minutes later she was a lifeless body, floating in the water. It made me feel horribly guilty for how irrationally annoyed I was at her earlier today.<p>

I followed Mick back to Tierney's stateroom on the ship, protesting that her death must have been an accident. Why would someone kill her?

But it was clear from Mick's reaction that he already thought otherwise. He'd been hired by her to review her security, which indicated she had concerns in the safety department, concerns serious enough to warrant hiring a PI.

What also quickly stood out was Mick blaming himself for her death. Even if he'd only been on the case a few days, he thought it was his responsibility to identify all of the threats surrounding Tierney. He'd told her she could trust him, and now he felt like he'd failed her.

I wanted to say something else. I wanted to tell him that even if he wants to be the hero, it's not always possible. There are sometimes circumstances beyond his control. I couldn't exactly use the cliché, you're only human, but the same principal basically holds true. Even with his superhuman strength and senses, he's not omniscient and can't see into the future.

It didn't really matter what I would have said though. Mick's brain was already focused on sweeping Tierney's stateroom for clues. It didn't take long for him to pick up the smell of blood, female blood to be exact. A glass display case in the center of the room held a rusted iron anchor, among other artifacts from the history of the Queen Mary. Mick could smell blood on the anchor, even it had been wiped clean. He immediately drew the conclusion that Tierney had been hit over the head with the anchor, and her body was thrown overboard.

We didn't get the chance to recover from the shock of knowing that Tierney had in fact been murdered or to plan our next move because at precisely that moment, we were joined in Tierney's stateroom by none other than one Benjamin Talbot. If I looked surprised to see him for the second time today, that was nothing compared to his expression upon discovering Mick and I already in the center of his investigation into Tierney's death.

"Well, well, well," Ben's irritated gaze swept from Mick to me, then back again, "What a pleasant surprise." The tone of his voice was somewhere between sarcasm and outright scorn. If he'd held any good will toward me after lunch today, I'm guessing it had just evaporated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, astonished at his rapid appearance on the scene.

Ben didn't get a chance to answer because Mick jumped in to respond first. "He's here because the DA's office wants to make sure that the police don't screw up another high-profile celebrity case. Is that right?"

Looks like Mick still had not exactly warmed up to Ben either.

Ben didn't say anything in reply to Mick's gibe, only told us we'd need to clear out.

We headed toward the door, but Mick stopped short, turning back to Ben. "The display case."

"What about it?" Ben asked Mick sounding perturbed.

"That anchor is your murder weapon," Mick told him, before turning and striding out of the room.

Regardless of how Mick felt about Ben, solving Tierney's murder took priority.


End file.
